"Water heals and gives strength." This Belarusian builds unique boats. 

This Poleshuk 's soul knows the secrets of the vast waters of the Yaselda, on the banks of which he was born and raised, as well as Motolskoye, Sporovskoye, and other lakes in the village of Motol in the Brest region. Today, he is practically the only one in Belarus to create such wooden boats that simply fly across the water's surface. That's why they are so popular among his fellow countrymen and beyond. We visited Pal Palych, to whom a sculpture was even erected in his homeland, and learned from whom he learned the secrets of building reliable and durable boats, to whom he hopes to pass on his skills, and what he dreams of doing after he retires.
An important means of transportation for Poleshuk residents

: "The house where I was born and spent my childhood stood right above the river. There was a watermill nearby," recalls Pavel Raikevich. "The Yaselda used to be fuller than it is now. In the spring, it flooded all the surrounding fields and meadows." That's why, in May and April, and sometimes at other times of the year, many Motol residents practically lived on an island.

Until the high waters subsided, children were taken to school by boat. Incidentally, the proximity to rivers and lakes didn't frighten anyone. Moreover, since childhood, neither Pavel nor his friends had ever caught a cold, and they still don't. "Those who have lived near water their entire lives know that it heals and gives strength. And not just the water, but also the silt at the bottom. I think it's time to open a resort with mud baths on Lake Motolskoye," our interviewee confidently said.

We looked at the boats he had made and rode in them. They were impressive: light and stable! Who taught him to build such a vital means of transportation for the Poleshuks, especially during the floods, which happen almost every year?
"I learned from my father. I often just hung around him while he was building yet another boat." "And if before there was one in every household, then in ours there were five!" says Pavel Pavlovich.

During Pavel Raikevich's childhood, a boat was the villagers' main mode of transport, and indispensable for transporting goods. Flat-bottomed boats were used to deliver bundles of hay, firewood, and potatoes from the vegetable gardens established in the allotments. The plantings were usually planted on elevated areas, out of reach of water.

The secret to the flat-bottomed boat's reliability

: The elder Raikevich, Pavel Dmitrievich, was not only a boat builder but also an excellent fisherman and a good manager—he led a fishing cooperative for over 30 years. Moreover, he was accustomed to relying on himself in many ways. In winter, he wove nets and seines, searched for suitable wood for future boats, and crafted them.
"My father's team had permission to fish throughout the Brest region. They cast nets and seines on Sporovskoye and other lakes and rivers. The boats were transported from place to place by car. Or they were dragged overland if one lake was next to another. By the way, they caught a lot. Sometimes they would fulfill the annual quota in one fishing trip: 10-12 tons," says Pal Palych. "These places are still rich in fish today. There are pike and even sturgeon. In recent years, some have appeared in Yaselda."Carp and silver carp, which stocked the lake.

Pavel Dmitrievich was one of those people who are called a jack of all trades! He was always on top of everything, and his son, Pavel—one of four—tried to be by his father's side more often than anyone else. He went fishing with him, and into the forest to choose the best pine for the boat. Once, Pashka even helped his father build a flat-bottomed boat out of aluminum. It turned out light, beautiful, and practical, but it took an entire summer to make. So from then on, his father began making only wooden boats, and only their sides
out of aluminum. And his son watched, memorizing every process... "We harvested pine logs for boards only in winter—in severe frost. Then all the moisture in the wood freezes out, and the quality is much better," Pavel Pavlovich reveals, adding that his father's boats were larger than those his son makes today. Today's boats are only 5-6 meters long, while the old ones were 10-12. The boats' size was explained by the need to haul firewood and hay. Today, most private farms don't have such concerns. Milk and dairy products can be bought at the store, villagers no longer need hay, and gas has replaced firewood for motorboat operators. Boats are used today primarily for fishing and boating.
How do you hold an axe properly? Pavel Dmitrievich's

children remember their father fondly. It's no surprise: he had a kind heart and a gifted hand. He could build not only a boat, but also a house and build a stove. Today, his son, Pavel, is his equal in skill. He also builds houses, and once even erected his own, the one he lives in today. And our interlocutor can easily build a stove—one that's not only warm but also beautiful! Of course, the master craftsman has fewer houses and stoves on his list than boats. But, being objective, one of Pavel Pavlovich's brothers once told him:

"If your father were alive, he would be proud of you." In my opinion, you've already surpassed your dad in many ways, including when it comes to boats!

Our hero made his very first boat almost 35 years ago, when his dad became seriously ill.

"By then, I wasn't sure I could build as well as my father," Pavel Pavlovich admits honestly today. "But he told me: 'Learn how to hold an axe correctly, and you'll learn everything. Including making boats!'" And
so it happened: he learned! Over time, Pavel Pavlovich made boats so big that even fishing companies began to come for them. You must admit, such a level of buyers, their exactingness, speaks to the high quality of the craftsman's work.

The boats that came out of the master's hands were reliable and well-made. Incidentally, he gave that very first one to a friend, who still uses it for its intended purpose.

"I built it for two weeks. That's a lot. Now it takes three days to make one," admits the interlocutor.

For every flood - a lifeguard

Today, of course, Polesia doesn't have the same floods as before. That's why some believe the era of wooden boats is over. Another friend of our hero thought so, once joking with him: "Maybe you should stop messing around with them—they're such a hassle!"

"Wait, Stepanovich, you'll next ask me to give you a ride to the porch!" Pal Palych disagreed.

And such a time came. A few years later, a flood began in Motyl—and the flat-bottomed boat proved a great help to the villagers.
"Nobody could go outside then," recalls Pavel Raikevich, who spent two days driving to the store for bread and then delivering it to his fellow villagers.

Motol is renowned for its talent.

All of his family and friends know how wood literally comes alive in the hands of a master: the most ordinary snag is transformed into a wondrous animal , or even a water god. Finding a strangely shaped branch or root in a meadow, river, or swamp, including ones that have lain in water for decades, he creates unique pieces! Yet, our hero doesn't consider himself unique.

"In our village, everyone has always been busy and skilled in something. Some wove scarves, others bedspreads, others sewed sheepskin coats, including my father. He made high-quality, warm clothes, which people came to Motol from Poland for, paying good money by those standards ," he recalls. "

The children saw how hard their parents worked , so they helped as best they could." Sometimes a boy would wake up in the morning, go out into the yard, and find a two-handled saw on the porch. That meant he needed to saw no less than a cubic meter of firewood.

"I'd quickly call my friends, and we'd get to work," the interviewee smiles, clarifying that no one was forced, but the boys would quickly gather for the work day. Because they knew: today you help a friend, and tomorrow he'll help you.

Today, village children, and even adults, don't have such problems. Many of the blessings of civilization have come to Motol, like other villages. Including gas. And if he needs to stock up on firewood for the stove for the winter, there's a chainsaw.

Let people see the beautiful region.

It must be said that boats, stoves, building houses, and even wood crafts are increasingly his passion for Pavel Raikevich . Our hero's main profession is as a driver; he works at the Ivanovo branch of the "Koopprom" consumer society. She travels throughout Belarus, delivering groceries to retail outlets. Incidentally, these include sausages and confectionery products produced locally in Motal. It's no coincidence that the international folklore festival "Motalskie Prysmaki" (Motal's Sweets) is held there, attracting guests from all over the world.

According to the interviewee, Motol is an agrotown for the better life, which is why the people here are happy, skilled, and hardworking. In local families, the secrets of craftsmanship are often passed down through generations and family. Of course, not everyone can master them—only the most talented "raise the game" to the proper level. For example, Pavel Raikevich brought boat manufacturing to the forefront. I wonder who he'll pass his business on to?

"I think to my eldest son, Sergei," Pal Palych said after some thought. "He can already make such beautiful things out of wood... He knows how to hold an axe; one day he'll be able to build a boat. Incidentally, he's a first-class stove maker, too," the father says proudly.

Pal Palych is now 60. He'll soon be retiring. What will he do when he stops driving?

"I definitely won't be sitting on the stove," our hero assures, sharing his dream: "I'd like to take tourists on boat rides along the Yaselda River and the lakes, and take them to the Sporovskie Marshes, where there's a famous eco-trail. I dream of making it more interesting and longer. Let people see what a beautiful place we live in!"

Tamara MARKINA,
photos by Kirill PASMURTSEV,
"7 Days."

*The project was created with funds from a targeted collection for the production of national content.