Putyatin Island: gorgeous beaches, quaint rocks and a lotus lake. “Whoever has been here once, no longer rests on the Black Sea. Holidays in the Primorsky region of Putyatin

Putyatin Island will forever remain in my heart. Here I became a man, here the most memorable period of my life passed. And if in previous stories I talked about romance as a dream, here I fully experienced it in real life. I am grateful to fate that by the will of fate I ended up on this island. I am grateful to the people who lived, and maybe still live, in a small fishing village located on the shore of a wide bay. I first set foot on its shores back in 1965. The month of November is on the calendar, I escaped from a Komsomol construction site in the city of Bolshekamensk and came here to get a job as a sailor on a fishing seiner. And I did it! Thank you, fate.
The island is located in Peter the Great Bay, approximately between Vladivostok and Nakhodka. The coastline in Primorye is replete with bays and bays. So Putyatin is located in the small Strelok Bay, the patrimony of military sailors. In bays with eloquent names: Robber, Abrek and others, they “reside” with their formidable ships and submarines. Putyatin, together with Askold Island, is located in the center of the bay and serves as a screen from American spies, hiding our naval power. The island got its name in memory of the famous Russian admiral E.V. Putyatin. It was this navigator who first mapped and explored the island, adjacent shores and sea spaces. Another surname is closely connected with the history of the island: Alexey Startsev, Vladivostok tycoon and millionaire. He turned the island into “paradise on earth,” planted gardens, raised sika deer, and produced unique porcelain, high-quality bricks and even silk here. But the revolution came and the commissars stopped all this “disgrace” so that the bourgeois would not drink the precious, proletarian blood of the hegemons. By the time I appeared, the memory of this man and his “art” had happily disappeared. True, some people still knew that the highest mountain on the island is called the same hill, Startsev. In Soviet times, the island had a fish processing plant and a fishing fleet with it. Nearby there was a state animal farm with deer, which the Bolsheviks apparently could not destroy, and at the other end the warriors built themselves a base where they stored some of their property. That’s all, if we don’t mention the lake on the island, in which lotuses grew, a great rarity for the Far Eastern flora.
The island is separated from the mainland by a strait through which a small, old ferry sails. Needless to say, I first stepped onto its deck with bated breath, realizing that I was entering a new period of my life, that my Odessa dream of the sea was partially coming true. And here, on the ferry, I began to make new discoveries for myself. In a small wardroom, open to passengers, the crew sat at the table and had lunch. To my surprise, they ate the flounder soup with gusto. Now that almost fifty years have passed, not everyone will understand the reasons for my surprise. To do this, you need to know the everyday little things of our life in those years. I was a resident of the Volga region and in our Tatastan, sea fish was then sold in a very limited assortment and people preferred to eat river fish. Flounder, by the way, was sold, but it was called contemptuously: “one-eyed” and the emphasis was placed on the last syllable - flounderA-A. The entire rich variety of sea fish that Soviet people consumed at that time was reduced to sprat, sprat and herring. People for the most part knew nothing about seafood and, of course, about seafood delicacies, although some of them were sold in stores. I still remember the slogan of Soviet trade in the fifties: “It’s time to try how tasty and tender crabs are.” It took years for people living on the banks of the Volga to pay attention to the products of the seas. I believe that the fact that our main river was blocked by a cascade of hydroelectric power stations played an important role in this process. Since then, sturgeon and beluga have ceased to be caught in the Kazan region. True, one individual, or rather a stuffed animal, is now on display in a historical museum, but the living ones have disappeared. By 1965, this slogan, of course, disappeared along with the delicacies. But the flounder continued to remain on the shelves, but in my mind it was a kind of fake fish. Hence my surprise, how the sea is overboard, but they are eating some kind of flounder.
Another circumstance that I immediately noticed concerned the nature of the relationship between the crew and passengers. There was an almost homely atmosphere on the ferry; there were a few passengers and crew members, everyone knew each other and behaved like home. The idea of the sea and the sailors of passenger ships that I formed during my life in Yalta did not coincide at all with what I saw here. In Yalta, the sea was part of the resort surroundings, just a large pool for swimming, a sea for admiring and lightly tickling the nervous system during a storm. I remember well the oily eyes of sailors on pleasure boats cruising along the southern coast of Crimea. Giving their hand to the next passenger to help her step onto the slightly swaying deck, they looked at her like a well-fed cat at sour cream. The local sailors, the ferry sailors, were just your friends, transporting passengers from the mainland to the island was their usual job. For these guys, the sea smelled not of cocotte perfume, but of labor sweat. Here the sea is the source of life, the sea is the toiler, hard worker and breadwinner. And the fresh autumn wind only emphasized this circumstance, as if saying: here your friend is not a resort or relaxation, but real man’s work.
Half an hour and our “liner” moored to one of the piers on Putyatin Island. Directly in front of us are the workshops of the fish processing plant, on the left is the passage to the village. I go to the fish processing plant office and present my documents to the personnel department. And literally in a few minutes, allow me to introduce myself: Yuri Shmelev - a sailor of the fishing seiner "Argoda". But the seiner is at sea and will only be at the pier in the evening, but for now, young man, go get settled in a hostel, it’s nearby. It turns out that the order here is this: you work and live on the ship, but in the hostel you are assigned a place, and that’s where you are registered. Later I realized that this is a very reasonable rule. The village itself was located on the shore of a wide bay, facing the mainland, so to speak. The entire village consisted mainly of private buildings. It was surrounded by hills, and the houses went along the lowlands between them deep into the island. Here, near the piers of the fish factory, next to the office there was, as it were, a center. A post office, a savings bank, a store and a two-story barracks, a small square, at the far end of which there was a community center in a public garden, made up the central part of the village. A hundred meters behind him, on a hill in a two-story building, there was a dormitory. Also not far from the club, closer to private houses, there was a dining room and a buffet attached to it. That's the whole village. There was also an animal farm on the island, located not far from ours, a fishing farm, right behind the highest hill. Even further away, on the other side of the island in Shirokaya Bay, there was a Morflot base. But I found out all this later, but in the meantime I came to the hostel, where they quickly assigned me my room and bed. I walked around the village until evening and, when it began to get dark, I met my seiner at the pier. It didn’t look like an ocean cruise, a multi-deck giant that would take your breath away, no, it was, to put it mildly, a slightly shabby, gray motor ship, more like a boat. But he walked to the mooring very confidently and even beautifully; it was clear that the sea was his element, he looked so natural and simple on the water surface. I thought he was handsome. When approaching the pier, two people appeared on the deck, without fussing, deftly threw ropes onto the metal mooring bollards, the seiner, purring busily, stood at the pier. More people appeared on the deck, opened the hold lid, the deck boom lowered a large metal tub down and a minute later a voice was heard from there: Vira! The unloading of the caught fish began. The fish were sent directly to the workshop for processing. After waiting for the end of unloading, I stepped onto the deck of the seiner, said hello and asked: “Where can I find the captain? “The man who took me to the captain turned out to be the boatswain, the most important commander of the sailors. The captain looked at the documents and put me at his disposal, who brought the boatswain to him. He gave me a fisherman's robe, rubber boots, white cotton gloves, bed linen and took me to the sailor's quarters, where he also showed me my bed. It was a cozy couch, similar to the one you find in a train compartment. Having met the crew, I went with everyone to the cabin for dinner. For dinner they “served” pasta with naval stew, fried fish and compote. I ate it with pleasure, very tasty. After dinner, some went home to the village; single and homeless people, like me, remained on the ship. Watchmen were assigned for the night: a sailor and a mechanic, as well as a navigator, the rest went to bed. In the morning I woke up already at sea, it turns out the ship leaves early, it is controlled by the watch crew and the captain. It’s a two to three hour walk to the fishing area, that is, we start fishing around seven in the morning. The boatswain explained the duties I had to perform at different stages of the fishery. I was placed on the so-called back board, which is located at the stern. The board is a purely conventional word; in fact, it is a whole glider made of metal, weighing seven hundred kilograms. It is suspended from steel bridles, much like a kite. Only instead of a tail, one trawl wing is attached to the back. A second board is lowered from the bow of the seiner. When gliding in the water, they open the trawl to its entire width, the opening height is determined: up - by floats (buoys), down - by sinkers. That's all. A seiner armed with such a trawl plows the seabed like a tractor, raking up everything living and non-living in its path. Trawling depth is up to two hundred meters, travel time with a trawl is up to two hours, depending on the mass of the school of fish. There is an echo sounder in the wheelhouse and, based on its readings, the captain determines the trawling time.
Finally we arrived at the fishing area, now we will cast the trawl. As the boatswain taught me, I stood at my workplace. Despite the excitement, I still managed to fulfill my duties correctly and the trawl went into the depths of the sea. Having taken off our robe, we went to have breakfast. We had breakfast in the company cabin. No more than eight people could fit at the table, that is, our entire deck crew, including the boatswain and the trawl master. The rest of the team had breakfast earlier. For breakfast there was porridge, cold fried fish, coffee with milk and butter, everything was very tasty and filling. Later, I learned that this is a traditional food system; the state allocated 91 kopecks per person per day for this purpose. In the merchant fleet, by the way, the allowance was a little more than one ruble for these purposes. They gave us less because we ate state fish, which we caught ourselves. After breakfast, all the sailors began to go about their business, some on the instructions of the boatswain - with the ship's economy, others, under the guidance of the trawl master - with fishing gear. The seiner's crew consisted of 16 people. Six sailors are the deck crew, the main physical burden of the ship. The boatswain and trawl master are their immediate superiors. The Estonian Habergras, by the way, a wonderful person and an excellent specialist in his field, worked for us as a haulage master. How he got to these parts from cozy Estonia, I don’t know; there were a lot of incomprehensible things in our mighty country. The cook and radio operator stood apart in the seiner's crew. By the way, in our navy we all called radio operators “Marconians,” and not priests or priests. They, these two, were the “white bone” of the team, even for quenching in a winter storm, they only went out after the captain’s personal order. The engine team consisted of two mechanics led by a senior mechanic (grandfather). Two navigators with a captain completed the pyramid of our team. I spent almost two years fishing and am deeply grateful to fate that I had the opportunity to go through this school of life.
Let's return to the fishing process. About two hours passed after our trawl was spotted, and it was time to rise. Everyone took their places, the seiner stopped moving, and the main winch, controlled by the boatswain, started working. We began to wait for the trawl to appear on the surface. Spacer boards appeared from the water, swinging on cables as they approached their places. Having caught my board by the bridle, I secured it as it should be and went to the platform in the center of the deck space to help other sailors. The trawl is lifted onto the deck over the side using a cargo boom in interceptions of about three meters each. To do this, the most experienced sailor and an assistant press the net against the bulwark and grab the neck of the trawl with a noose. Then they attach this noose to the hook of the arrow. After several such interceptions, the tail end of the trawl appeared, containing fish. The seiner's cargo boom had a lifting capacity of up to five tons, so we lifted the entire catch on board in one go. I was torn by curiosity about what we caught in the sea. The fish fluttered on the deck, the eyes simply ran wild from its diversity. But I had to work further, so only by making a new note, I was able to calmly examine what I had caught. The fish lying on the deck were of various sizes and species. I saw a lot of things for the first time and didn’t even know what it was. In a large pile of fish, various crabs, some mollusks, shells and several octopuses were moving. All this stuff had to be sorted, it turns out. The fact is that, as they explained to me, we catch the so-called partial fish, from which the cheapest canned food is made: meatballs and cutlets in tomato sauce. In this case, any fish was used, but not seafood, they had to be thrown into the sea. Since our catch was small, we managed to sort it out quite quickly and went to rest.
The guys immediately taught me how to cook crabs. It's very simple, you grab the claws with both hands, step on its body with your foot, pull the claws up, tear them out and put them in a bucket of sea water. After asking the cook for permission, you put it on the stove and in half an hour it’s ready. The crab is so huge that one person cannot handle it, two or three people are just right. The attitude towards the crab delicacy in the team was indifferent, whoever wanted it ate it, no one paid attention to it. Over time, I got used to eating a wide variety of seafood, but the team never had any special attitude towards exotic things of this kind. You like it, and eat to your health. But there were also common preferences, for example: when large cod was caught in the trawl. Our cook ripped open the bellies of several fish and the whole group of us ate fresh, fried cod liver. True, when this happened the first time, I was immediately warned not to get carried away and not to eat a lot. Cod liver contains a lot of fat and vitamins, too much can affect your health and may disrupt the vitamin balance in the body. Over time, I got used to it and ate without fear. I also got used to the fact that there is fish on the table every day. They didn’t do culinary delights, didn’t know how, and didn’t even know what they were. But fried or boiled fish is always fresh and very tasty. They also loved the fish cakes. But they were not done often, but only if the catch included cod and greenling perch at the same time. Minced meat was made in half from both types of fish. It seems that nothing tastes better than these cutlets. There were other passions, primarily related to the range of catches. But all this was ahead, now, the most important thing for me was not to lose face. I discarded the very thought that I would not be able to do everything on the seiner as required. I was delighted that I was on a fishing boat among such wonderful people, that I was at sea and had a chance to become a real sailor.
Since our catches this time were small, and there was a slight frost outside, the caught fish did not spoil, we did not come to our base for three days, we fished around the clock. By the evening of the third day, we moored safely at our home pier. Like a real sailor, I jumped over the side onto the pier to take the mooring line and immediately got into an incident, which consisted of the following: during our fishing, I had become unaccustomed to the terra firma. And now, having stepped onto the pier, I felt with horror that it was swaying. Instinctively he squatted down and leaned his hands on the flooring. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything more stupid in my life. Quickly realizing that these were the consequences of sea motion, he got up from all fours and tried to do what was required. Thanks to the boatswain, he did not show that I had made such a mistake. Afterwards he just said: “You, Yura, don’t be upset, this is nothing, worse happens to others, but you will turn out to be a sailor.” All my life I have been lucky to have good people! Unfortunately, I only remember his name, Nikolai. His support and kind participation in my development as a sailor is difficult to overestimate. Thanks to him.

Continuation of the topic.

Putyatin is in my heart.

I left Putyatin in 1967, after the pollock season. I said goodbye to my seiner and friends, looked at the island for the last time and hit the road. 45 years have passed since then, it’s 2012, and here I am again on the shore of the strait, in the village of Temp, waiting for the ferry to the island. The old pier is gone, its remains stick out from the water - piles. I can’t say that my heart is beating wildly in my chest. There is curiosity and I look for familiar features of the landscape. I can't remember anything except the pier. The Tempe coast is inhospitable and empty, the weather is cloudy. True, fifty meters away I see an unprepossessing building with the inscription “Cafe”.
I went in, found out that the ferry was running, and had a snack at the same time. Two pretty girls offered some kind of dish with meat for little money. It turned out to be quite tasty. He went ashore again, and passengers had already appeared. One woman asked me about the purpose of my trip to the island. I told you. She shook her head and called a person she knew on the island, saying that a tourist was coming and needed an overnight stay. It turns out that there is a hostel on the island. This easily solved the problem of housing on the island. Half an hour later our ferry touched the shore. Three cars, about a dozen passengers, that’s the whole expedition to the island. These are local residents returning home from the mainland, where they traveled on business. There are no tourists yet, unless you count me as one. The lotuses on the island will bloom only in ten days, and then they will fall in a crowd. They will distort and dirty everything, and then, dreamily rolling their eyes, they will talk about the beauties of the island and lotuses. But I'll already be gone by then.
Half an hour's walk and we are already bumping into the shore of the island. And immediately the first disappointment. Previously, the ferry moored at one of the factory berths. Now he is “moored”, that is, he pokes his muzzle into the shore far from the village, where there used to be a state animal farm. It was a state animal farm, but apparently it floated away. A young man meets me on the shore; he was sent for me by the owner of the hostel, his father.
What did I expect and what did I hope for when I was planning to come here? I found out on the Internet that the island is eking out a miserable existence. Of course, I read about lotuses. I had never seen them before. During their flowering period, we caught saury on Shikotan. But I didn’t care much for flowers, even such unique ones in Primorye as the lotus. I was interested in the life of the village and the people. I waited and hoped that there was at least some kind of life here. After all, the island remembers not only the Soviet era, when life was seething here, but also the time and pre-revolutionary time of Startsev, when there was paradise on earth. All in vain. I saw not a blooming land, but a living corpse. People living here simply exist, dreaming of someday breaking out into the normal world. Despite all my readiness to see the devastation, I was unable to suppress the pain in my heart.
For seventy years we have been building communism throughout the country. They spared no effort, studied, worked, and everything went to pieces, leaving nothing but a completely broken country. And people... The fate of the residents remaining here does not bother anyone. It’s bitter to see the truth when you seemed to know that it was bad there, but in your heart you didn’t want to believe it, hoping for something.
I walk along the familiar path from the central square, where the palace of culture still stands and my current hostel is located in a former store, towards the hostel. Here I had a bed in one of the rooms. Our youth once seethed and seethed there after returning from a months-long journey in distant seas. There we loved and hated, there we were friends and quarreled, there was the epicenter of a typhoon called: youth, romance. What now? Now it's just a graveyard. In these ruins are buried the voices of beautiful young maidens, our friends, the hugs and kisses of lovers, stormy and noisy parties of young sailors and old sea wolves. The memory of us still lives here, barely audible to a sensitive ear. But the wind of the next cyclone inexorably blows these barely audible sounds through the empty eye sockets of former windows, doors and corridors. And very soon they will freeze, only the voice of the wind will be heard, and the noise from the falling plaster and stones. That's it, our youth has finally sunk into oblivion.
Will the beautiful island have a new life? Will he remember the past heavenly times of the Startsev era, will he remember our such a fun time, or will he come up with and create his own, unforgettable? Don't know. There is no answer, but I do not agree with the verdict given to the island. He has a future. The island will be reborn so that the current timelessness, our inhuman government and the residents losing hope do not do to it. I believe in the rebirth of my island. Love and youth, dignity and pride for one’s Motherland will live here again.

October 2012

Elephant Bay, Putyatin Island.

// vikni.livejournal.com

Today we leave Posyet on the morning bus "Kraskino - Vladivostok". Yesterday we didn't figure out how to get to Hassan, so we left the idea alone. And I am finishing the chapter “Khasan region” of my diary, and starting to write a new one, “Islands”.

The first island we are going to go to is Putyatin Island. The island is located in Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan, 50 km southeast of Vladivostok. The logistics of getting to the island are as follows: bus 506 “Vladivostok-Nakhodka”, stop in Fokino. Next, the Fokino - Danube bus runs approximately every hour, the last one at 19.20. In the Danube village there is a ferry to the island, 5 times a day. According to logistics, we return to Vladivostok, at the bus station we change to bus 506 "Vladivostok - Nakhodka" and get off at the "Fokino" stop. We almost missed the last bus to the Danube village, so our travels are completed for today. For a change, we spend the night in the forest, right in the city.

We arrived at the Fokino bus station, to the bus at 14.10. There were no tickets at the box office, they said if you eat while standing, negotiate with the driver. When the bus arrived, there were too many people wanting to go. First those with tickets passed through, then those without tickets began to pass through. The conductor looked at us and said: “Don’t stand there with your luggage, I should at least let people in!” “Are we not people?” - I was indignant, which amused the rest of the passengers. But the driver was in charge of this bus; he opened the back door and we entered. In general, Primorye residents are nice, friendly people, but they can also be in a bad mood. At the bus station in the Danube, a very talkative grandfather began to tell us about the wonderful island of Putyatin. Like, the lake is full of huge crucian carp, even if you catch it with your hands, in the forest there is a white mushroom of incredible size, it strives to jump into the basket itself. But when he began to tell that the lotuses were still blooming, a woman standing next to him interrupted him: “Why are you misleading people!” That’s the end of the fairy tale, and well done to those who listened:) The ferry crossing to the island is a 10-minute walk from the station. The ferry runs 5 times a day, and the next one will be only in 2.5 hours, at 18.00. To our delight, there is a coal barge that goes to the island and can take passengers. On it we went to the wonderful island of Putyatin.

This is not Putyatin yet :)

// vikni.livejournal.com

Putyatin Island is ahead.

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Putyatin Island.

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There is a small village on the island, Putyatin. Immediately behind the village, the main attraction of the island is Lake Gusinoye, where the Komarov lotus, listed in the Red Book, grows. The lotus blooms for only one month, usually in August. Every year the area where lotus grows is decreasing, due to the influence of human economic activity. I can imagine how many people come to see this miracle during the flowering period! Now there is no one on the lake except us, and all that remains of the lotuses are horns, legs, and only leaves. Without lotuses, the lake is also beautiful, and we already miss fresh water a little.

Evening lake.

// vikni.livejournal.com

There could be lotus flowers here :)

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The sunset begins...

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In the evening a snake came to visit us. Apparently, this is a patterned runner. It is not poisonous, but still such a neighborhood causes some concern :)

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Today we are walking around the island. In the morning, the heavenly milkmaid spilled milk, and the sky became milky white. This milky haze lasted all day...

A few numbers. The length of Putyatin Island from north to south is 24 meters, the area is about 28 square meters. m., the highest point is Mount Startseva, 353 m.

Ready for the walk :)

// vikni.livejournal.com

The island is incredibly picturesque. The road goes through a dense deciduous forest, mostly oak.

The island's bays are very beautiful.

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Elephant Bay. Do you see an elephant drinking water? :)

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The bays on the island are very beautiful, framed by picturesque cliffs. But everything is spoiled by the piles of garbage left by vacationers. I don’t understand, is it really so difficult to take all the garbage with you?

We dive into the forest again, and after a while we come out to Turtle Bay. And again amazing similarity!

Turtle Bay.

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Stone Turtle :)

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Elements of golden autumn.

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It's nice to walk through such a forest!

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Another attraction of the island is the Five Fingers kekura.

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The day is coming to an end, and we set off on the way back to Elephant Bay. There are many abandoned military installations along the road.

It looks like a foundation for cannons.

Putyatin Island is a hospitable place for tourists in Peter the Great Bay. It is located further from Vladivostok compared to other islands in the Sea of Japan. Fifty kilometers separate Putyatin from the administrative center.

The island is famous for its unprecedented scenic beauty: amazing bays, warm coastlines, gentle cliffs, stunning meadow landscapes and a rich natural world. The entire territory of the island is covered with a dense canopy of deciduous forest. Entering the forest, you can feel the aromas of mixed trees: oak, linden, manchurian walnut and maple. Clearings have been made in some areas of the forest, but elderberry and rosehip bushes make some areas difficult to navigate. Putyatina is famous for its large harvest of mushrooms and berries. Far from people, deer live in the south of the island.

Ruffs, greenlings, scallops, mussels, as well as octopuses and stingrays swim among the underwater rocks.
Tourists visit the island to admire its main attraction - the Komarov lotus. This relict plant blooms on Lake Gusinoye, not far from the village.
All the bays of the island are an excellent place to relax, as they are provided with a source of drinking water. Hiking in the surrounding area will lead the traveler to the Elephant rock, to the underwater grotto at Cape Shulepnikov. You can admire the Rooster rock or the Iretsky rock. Beautiful natural monuments are the Unkovsky stones and the Five Fingers kekura. Putyatin Island is rich in natural world, which is why thousands of tourists come here every year.

Putyatin Island is one of the most visited islands in Peter the Great Bay. Rocks resembling animals, a clear sea, an amazing underwater world, sandy beaches, lotus lakes and historical heritage - all this annually attracts a huge number of tourists to Putyatin Island. PrimaMedia news agency talks about the amazing island, which in recent years has become a favorite summer vacation spot for residents of Primorye and other regions of the Far East.

About the island

Infographics. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Putyatina Island is located about 50 km southeast of Vladivostok, in Strelok Bay near the village of Danube. Administratively it belongs to the closed city of Fokino. The minimum distance between the island from Cape Startsev to the mainland (Cape Strelok) is about 1.5 km. The territory of the island stretches from north to south for 24 km, the southern part of the island ends with the Five Fingers kekurs, from here you can see the island of Askold. The area of the island is 27.9 square meters. kilometers or 2790 hectares.

The island is mountainous, the highest elevation is Mount Startseva, quite steep, located in the northern part of the island, its height is 353 meters. The shores of the island are indented, fringed by reefs, the hills are crossed by valleys and ravines. There are several fresh lakes on the island, the largest and most famous of which is Lake Gusinoye. It is a natural monument of regional significance.

Lake Gusinoye from a bird's eye view. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Thickets of Komarov lotus in Lake Gusinoye. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Lake Gusinoye from a bird's eye view. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Thickets of Komarov lotus in Lake Gusinoye. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

The island was first described and mapped by the crew of the clipper Strelok in 1858. The sailors named the island in honor of Efimy Putyatin, a Russian admiral, diplomat and statesman, leader of the expedition of 1852-1855, in which the frigates Diana and Pallada took part. Putyatin's expedition discovered the bays of Posyet and St. Olga in Primorye, as well as the islands of the Rimsky-Korsakov archipelago.

At the time of discovery, the island was uninhabited, but in the warm season it was visited by the mainland population of Primorye for hunting and fishing. The island remained uninhabited until 1891, until in the summer the son of the Decembrist Nikolai Bestuzhev, one of the first industrialists of the Far East, merchant of the 1st guild Alexei Startsev, a talented and educated man, visited the island. After visiting the island, Startsev bought part of the island’s territory from the state, and leased the other part for 99 years. From that moment on, the heyday of Putyatin Island began.

The coast of Putyatin Island from the sea. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Alexey Startsev founded his own estate “Rodnoye” on the island, moved his family to Putyatin and, with his characteristic enthusiasm, began to build a new life. He built the famous Startsevsky brick factory, a porcelain factory, and a silk workshop. The owner was also involved in breeding horses, Kholmogory cows, pigs, geese, and ducks. He organized a deer farm, a snake nursery, an apiary, vineyards and orchards. The estate flourished until Startsev's death in 1900. After this, it gradually fell into disrepair and was nationalized after the revolution. During Soviet times, a fish processing plant was located on the island, next to which an island village was formed, which still exists today. Now the population of the village of Putyatin is about 600 people.

How to get there

Getting to Putyatin Island on your own is quite easy, either by private car or by public transport.

In the first case, you need to drive from Vladivostok along the highway to Nakhodka to the closed city of Fokino. Having arrived in Fokino and driving to the center of the village, you need to turn right at the sign towards the village of Danube, and then continue along the main road, without turning anywhere. The road is mostly of good quality; 22 km can be easily covered in half an hour. In the Danube you need to get to the ferry crossing, which is located on the coast at the very end of the village. From here there is a daily ferry to the island all year round.

You can use it to cross to the island either on foot or with a car, which you can then use to travel around the island. In the first case, the cost of a two-way ticket will be from 20 to 150 rubles (depending on which flight you will be on - municipal or commercial). Crossing a car in two directions will cost 2,720 rubles (as of August 2018). Travel time will be about 20 minutes.

You can get to Putyatin by public transport. Regular buses run from Vladivostok (twice an hour in summer) to Nakhodka. On one of them you need to get to Fokino, then change to a municipal bus to the Danube. Having arrived in the village, you need to walk to the ferry crossing and board the nearest ferry. The return journey must be done in the same way.

Village on Putyatina Island. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Forest on the island. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Things to do and see

Putyatin Island is very picturesque, especially in the part farthest from the mainland. A series of gorgeous bays with magnificent sandy beaches and clear seas attract many wild tourists to the island every year. Beach lovers prefer long trips to the island - from 5 days to two weeks. Most often, vacationers arrive on the island with their personal cars, which they use to get to their vacation spots and explore other attractions of the island. There are a lot of them on Putyatin.

The most famous of them is Lake Gusinoye in the central part of the island, which, moreover, is a natural monument of regional significance. The Komarov lotus grows here - a relict plant listed in the Red Book of Russia. In Asian countries, the lotus is considered a sacred plant; they believe that Buddha was born in a lotus bud. Lotuses bloom in the last week of July and last until mid-August - this is when the largest number of tourists flock to the island.

Lotus Komarov. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Thickets of Komarov lotus in Lake Gusinoye. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

Lotuses of Komarov. Photo: PrimaMedia news agency

The underwater world of the coast of Putyatin Island is very rich. In addition to underwater rocks and stones, ruffs and greenlings, mussels and scallops, you can also find octopus and stingrays here. The coastline is incredibly picturesque: the island is known for its bizarre rock formations: the Five Fingers kekurs, the Rooster, Elephant, and Dragon rocks. From the coast you can see the stones of Unkovsky and the rock island of Iretsky sticking out of the sea; in good weather, Askold Island is visible in the distance.

To fully enjoy the landscapes of the island, tourists often climb to its highest point - Mount Startseva, located in the northern part of Putyatin. From a height of more than 350 meters there are magnificent views of the island, the mainland coast, the neighboring Askold Island and even Vladivostok.

History buffs can visit the monument to the pioneer of Putyatin Alexei Startsev, which is located on a low hill not far from the road that leads from the village to the southern part of the island. It was opened in 1989 as a sign of recognition by the Putyatin residents of the merchant’s services in the development of the island. From the historical heritage on the island you can also find the ruins of Startsev’s house, which once stood near the pier.

The material was prepared as part of the PrimaMedia project . The goals of the project are to reveal the potential of the Primorsky Territory for domestic tourism, summarize the diverse experience of amateur travelers, introduce readers to the most attractive places in the region for tourism and major exhibitions of the tourism industry in Primorye.

Putyatin Island is one of the most beautiful and visited islands in the Peter the Great Gulf. The island is located 50 km southeast of the city of Vladivostok, in Strelok Bay. The minimum distance between the island from Cape Startsev to the mainland (Cape Strelok) is about 1.5 km. The territory of the island stretches from north to south for 24 km, the southern part of the island ends with the “Five Fingers” kekurs, here you can see the view of Askold Island.
The island is mountainous, the highest elevation is Mount Startseva, quite steep, located in the northern part of the island, its height is 353 meters.

They say it offers a beautiful view of Vladivostok and Askold Island.
The coast of the island is rugged, the hills are crossed by valleys and ravines.

On the east coast, granites with a layer of quartz predominate, while on the southern coast, granites have a reddish tint.

The shores of the island are fringed with reefs. The area of the island is 27.9 km² or 2790 hectares.

Putyatin Island was described by the crew of the clipper "Strelok" and put on the map by them in 1858. The name was given in honor of Putyatin Efimy Vasilyevich, admiral, diplomat and statesman, leader of the expedition in which the frigates “Diana” and “Pallada” participated. The expedition led by Putyatin in 1852-1855 made an inventory of the eastern coast of Primorye; it has the honor of discovering the bays of Posyet and Olga, the Rimsky-Korsakov islands. Later, in 1862-63, the shores of the island were examined by a hydrographic expedition of Lieutenant Colonel V.M. Babkin.

Putyatin Island was uninhabited at the time of discovery, except for the summer period, when in the warm season people from the mainland went to the island for fishing. In the summer of 1891, the island was visited by one of the first industrialists of the Far East, merchant of the 1st guild Alexey Startsev. Alexey Startsev is the son of the Decembrist Nikolai Bestuzhev, born in a civil marriage, a talented person, very educated and perceptive. Startsev bought part of the island’s land, and leased part from the state for 99 years, founded his own estate “Rodnoye” on the island, moved his family to the island and, with his characteristic enthusiasm, began to build a new life.

A brick factory was built on the island with the most modern equipment for that time. Startsev's plant produced bricks, each of which had its own mark, and Startsev's brick was famous - many buildings of that time were built from this brick in Vladivostok. A porcelain factory soon appeared next to the brick factory; Startsev’s porcelain was in no way inferior in quality to the work of Chinese masters, and Startsev was very proud of this. A silk production workshop is being organized on the island - silkworms are brought in and raised. Horses were brought to the island - the owner decided to breed a new breed of horses; he crossed Transbaikal horses, unpretentious and hardy, with thoroughbred English horses. In addition to horses, Startsev breeds Kholmogory cows, pigs, ducks and geese of the most famous breeds, opens a deer farm and a snake nursery, organizes an apiary, and establishes an orchard and vineyards. Roads that can only be envied are also being built on the island. Through the efforts of Startsev, the wild island turned into a blooming oasis. Alexey Startsev was awarded medals for achievements in the field of agriculture and repeatedly participated in exhibitions. One can only envy Startsev’s vigorous activity.
In 1900, Startsev died suddenly, and the estate began to decline. After the revolution, all property was nationalized, and a state animal farm was organized on the island.

In the fall of 1989, a monument to Startsev was erected on the island. The monument is located near the road that leads from the village to the southern part of the island.

Startsev's house, which survived and stood near the pier, was destroyed for unknown reasons at the end of the 20th century.
The population of the village of Putyatin decreases every year.

Putyatin Island is incredibly picturesque: beautiful bays and coastline, rocky and flat, magnificent landscapes of meadows and swampy lowlands, a rich natural world.

On Lake Gusin, near the village, grows the Komarov lotus, a relict plant whose age is estimated at about 100 million years, endemic to the Far East.

The lotus blooms from the last week of July to the end of August, but largely depends on the climate, and may occur a little later, but not earlier than July 20.
Komarov's lotus is found only in the Far East; this type of lotus has scientific value as a relict plant of the Gondwanan flora, which existed more than 100 million years ago, in the Mesozoic era. The vitality of the lotus is amazing. Under unfavorable conditions, lotus seeds do not die, but go into the stage of suspended animation. There are known cases of germination of lotus seeds, discovered in the mounds of Mnchuria, more than 1000 years old. Today, after the dam was washed away, water constantly flows out of the lake, due to the same drought, Gusinoye becomes shallow and overgrown, the petals in some places do not even touch the water. And if earlier this beautiful plant, listed in the Red Book, was found in six water areas, now it is only in three. Lotus Komarov is a capricious aristocrat; he loves only crystal clear water. But recently the environmental situation has worsened.

Natural monuments of Putyatin Island
Lake Gusinoe (relict plant Komarov lotus)
Kekura Five Fingers (multi-species colonies of seabirds).
Unkovsky stones
Iretsky Rock
Underwater grotto at Cape Shulepnikov
Rock Rooster

Rock Elephant.

By the way, not far from Gusinoye, on one of the hills, a cross is clearly visible - once the island was also notable for the poaching of Red Book sea cucumbers and scallops; In the 1990s, hunting for delicacies went on with virtually no special restrictions; many sea fish seekers used low-quality scuba equipment and died during the dive. The cross is a symbolic reminder of what human greed can lead to.

All bays of the island are suitable for recreation. There are several natural sources of drinking water on the island.
Tourists can travel along the island's 13 bays and lagoons and climb Mount Startseva. 5 finger rocks.
The water off the coast of the island is quite cool, since the east coast faces the open sea.

How to get there:
Putyatin Island is connected to the mainland by ferry. From Vladivostok: bus route 506 “Vladivostok-Nakhodka”, stop Fokino (Texas). Next is the Fokino-Danube bus. In the village of Danube there is a ferry crossing to Putyatin Island (20 min).
The schedule of the ferry and intercity bus routes can be found on the unofficial website of the city of Fokina www.tixas.ru/index/raspisanie_obshhestvennogo_t...
By personal vehicle we move along the route: Vladivostok – Artem – Shtykovo – Shkotovo – Smolyaninovo – Romanovka – Fokino – Danube (139.93 km.)

Some tips:
1. While on the island, be careful and careful! There are many snakes on the island.
2. Do not eat fish that you caught off the coast of the island and which seems familiar to you. You never know how your body will react to unfamiliar seafood. There is a paramedic station on the island, but a hospital with doctors is only on the mainland. Ferry flights are infrequent, and at night there is no help at all.
3. The roads are solid clay and after rain they become almost impassable. Therefore, if you do not have an all-wheel drive vehicle, find out in advance from the ferrymen or island residents the telephone numbers of tractor drivers who will be able to drag you to the pier if something happens. Cellular coverage is available almost throughout the island.
4.On Sunday, it is best to leave the island on the first ferry flight. It only fits 4 cars, so if you arrive at the pier in the afternoon, you run the risk of staying there overnight until Monday.
4.And remember, there may not be a last ferry trip to the mainland!

PS: Putyatin Island is ideal for a hiking trip, without a car under your ass and with a backpack on your back. But you need to relax somewhere else, with a more developed infrastructure.

About the island

How to get there

Things to do and see

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