In 1722 Peter I’s boat called the “grandfather of the Russian Navy” was brought to St. Petersburg. When Peter I was a child he used to sail it on the Yauza-river, then on the Pereyaslavskoye lake learning the art of sailing.

On August 11,1723 the boat participated in the military naval parade celebrating the glorious victories of the Russian Fleet in the Northern War. In Kronstadt it sailed past the saluting ships.

In 1762-1765 a stone pavilion intended for keeping the boat was built according to the design of the architect A.Vist on the square in front of the St. Peter and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Small in size the pavilion consists of the central hall and two premises on either side. Its roof is topped with a small pediment with a statue symbolizing Navigation. The original wooden statue was replaced twice: in 1827 by an alabaster one designed by the sculptor N.Tokarev and in 1891 by a terracotta one created by D.Jensen.

Now the original boat is on display in the Central Naval Museum (located in the building of the former Stock Exchange on the Spit of the Vasilyevsky Island), while in the Boathouse the visitors can see its copy.