The Russian double-headed eagle is proudly displayed on the magnificent bow of the Imperial yacht Standart
The Tsar's Private Study was furnished in dark leather and simple wooden furniture. The Tsarina's drawing room and boudoir were done in her favourite English chintz. On the walls could be found the indispensible icons or "windows to heaven" along with many photographs of her relatives and family.
Today there are hundreds of photographs in existence of the Standart taken by the Tsar and his family, their relatives and aides, whom at the time were making the most of the latest craze of the upper classes--photography.
These photographs were never meant for public viewing; many were found in old family albums and memory books of the Imperial Family, and over the past two decades, several hundred of these magnificent "windows on the past" have been published in handsome coffee-table books. To date, the most luxourious of these books has to be Russian Imperial Yachts: 17th-20th Century containing nearly 400 photographs.
Among these "pioneer" photographers was General Count Alexander Grabbe, who was often asked to accompany the Imperial Family when they sailed on the Standart to the Crimea and the islands of the Finnish archipelago. Many of his photographs of the Imperial Yacht were published in 1984 by his son Paul Grabbe in The Private World of the Last Tsar: The Photographs and Notes of General Count Alexander Grabbe. A keen photographer, Grabbe's photographs show the Tsar and his family onboard the Standart as a happy and carefree family, relaxing, playing games, dining with royalty, roller-skating and dancing.
Just before sailing and prior to the arrival of the Imperial Family, the ship was polished and cleaned from top to bottom. Sailors busied themselves above and below deck, checking the lifeboats and adjusting the awnings on the main deck. Officers and crew assembled on deck, all of whom saluted the Tsar as he came on board.
On the Standart, Tsar Nicholas II followed a daily routine. Early each morning he came on deck to check the weather. He also liked to make the rounds of the ship's company as well as greet the Imperial Yacht's warrant officers. It was not uncommon to see the young Tsarevich Alexis, wearing a sailor's uniform, accompany his father during these rounds. The Tsar was interested in navigation and he liked to discuss this subject with his Flag Captain, Admiral Nikov or as well as checking the yacht's course with Captain Zelenetsky. The Tsar worked for two days each week while at sea, receiving and sending dispatches by the courier boats that arrived daily from the mainland.When the Standart sailed, she was a glorious and spirited vessel and she attracted attention wherever she went. When the Tsar and his family were on board, a large household staff of footmen, stewards, butlers and cooks attended to their every need, in total she carried a crew of 275. The yacht was manned by a crew from the Russian Imperial Navy. Also on board was a platoon of marines as well as a brass band and a balalaika orchestra. In order to communicate with the mainland and other ships of the Russian Imperal Navy, the Standart was also equipped with radio, a novelty in 1912. |
