I just finished reading BERING'S SEARCH FOR THE STRAIT, The First Kamchatka Expedition Translated from a Russian book. Bering didn't land in Russia this expidition, but a nut-case trip all the same.
Peter the Great's instructions for the first Kamchatka expedition:

1, You are to build one or two boats, with decks, either in Kamchatka or in some other place.

2, You are to procede in these boats along the land that lies to the north. and according to the expectations (since the end is not known), it appears that land [is] part of America.

3, You are to search for the place where it is joined to America, and proceed to some settlement that belongs to a European power; or if you sight some European ship, find out from it what the coast is called, and write it down, go ashore yourself and obtain accurate information; locate it on a map and return here.

After a nice hike from St. Petersburgh...