Most are able to turn their hand at a whole range of jobs, from repairing a fridge to building a house. The sea still provides many with their means of livelihood. A common activity is the harvesting of the flat sheetlike seaweed laminaria, used for making marmalade, medicines and candy. Pyotr Shishman earns his living this way. He spends most of his time alone on a remote part of the main island and is able to get back to the main town only once a month.
Gasoline prices are higher, and it's impossible to get spare parts for the engine.
Elsewhere on Solovetski, the lighthouse keeper finds himself working in a place where lack of money means that there is no electricity to power the beacon. A lot of the machines and equipment on the islands date from Soviet times, and replacing broken parts is rarely an option. Extreme solutions are sometimes necessary. The motor sank in about 10 meters of water. Cold though the waters around Solovki may be, they are not as frigid as the latitude would suggest.