The river Neva passes through St Petersburg. In summer all bridges are opened during the nights, and in these hours the sea traffic is heavy. Pilot is compulsory in the night.

In daytime you can manage without a pilot. On the other hand you have to take your mast down to get clear for the closed bridges.

The river flows from lake Ladoga to the Baltic Sea. At fastest places the current can be 5 knots. Most of the river is far calmer.