English
Foto: Jānis Spurdziņš
This Sunday, one of the largest regattas of the Baltic States – Gulf of Riga Regatta (GoRR) will open with a parade of sailing yachts at the Vanšu bridge. 70 teams from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Finland will take part in the week-long competition. The beginning of the regatta and the first day of competition will be held in Riga, the following week yachts will sail to the shores of Salacgrīva, and on July 5 the regatta will finish in Pärnu.
Gulf of Riga Regatta comes back to Riga after a year's absence, choosing the yacht club “Auda” as the starting port of the competition for the first time. On June 30 – the opening day, residents and guests of the city will enjoy a magnificent parade of the GoRR sailing yachts on the Daugava River. The sailing sport fans will be able to watch regatta from both banks of the river. This year organizers of the Riga Riverside Festival will create a special ambience during the regatta parade by providing comments on what is happening together with sailors. The festive yacht parade will be seen near the Vanšu Bridge from 5:30 p.m. to about 6:30 p.m. After that, at 20:00, the opening ceremony of the GoRR will take place at the Mangaļsala yacht club “Auda”.
We have asked the organizers of the competition what will make this year special for the regatta and its participants, and Valters Romans, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Offshore Sailing Association and Director of GoRR, said: “The regatta has reached unprecedented capacity – 70 seaworthy yachts will compete for the title of Latvian champion in six groups for a week, and in two of them the Livonia Sailing Cup will be awarded. Not only is there a growing interest in competitive sailing in Latvia, but we also witness an influx of the most professional athletes from neighbouring countries. What can I say – a brilliant compliment to the regatta!”
On July 1, the first leg of the regatta – “Freeport of Riga” competition will take place near the breakwaters where the Daugava River flows into the bay. The start signal on the water is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. According to the race's chief judge, Normans Penke, the course will be set as close to the shore as possible, depending on the wind direction, to make the race exciting for both sailors and spectators. “The safety of the competitors is a priority, so the exact location will only be decided on the morning of the race, taking into account the weather conditions,” emphasized Mr.Penke. Official race information can be found on the regatta's website www.gorr.lv, where one can follow the regatta in real time and check out each day's course.
In the rest of the week GoRR will sail from Riga on the “KIA” leg to Salacgrīva, where the yachts will arrive already in the evening of July 2. After that, residents and guests of the city will enjoy the coastal race of the third “Sportland” leg, that will take place on Wednesday, July 3, along with a spectacular water festival on the shore. On Thursday, July 4, the yacht fleet will set sail for to Pärnu. The final day of the competition and the fifth leg will take place at the Pärnu Yacht Club, where GoRR winners, Latvian Offshore Sailing champions and Livonia Sailing Cup winners will be awarded.
GoRR is the largest annual international regatta in Latvia, taking place over a week in the Gulf of Riga. Teams from the Baltic Sea region take part in the competition. The race is held for the seventh year, during which the Latvian Offshore Sailing champions are determined and the fastest boats in ORC I and the ORC II groups compete to win the Livonia Sailing Cup, symbolising the revival of the Latvian offshore sailing tradition. The regatta is organized by the Latvian Offshore Sailing Association in cooperation with the Latvian Yachting Union and Estonian partners - Saaremaa Merispordi Selts.
REGATTA SCHEDULE
RIGA
29. june
16.00-20.00 Check-in and measurement and equipment inspection
30. june
10.00-16.00 Check-in and measurement and equipment inspection
17.30-18.30 Boat parade on Daugava river
20.00-20.30 Opening ceremony & participants welcome event
1. july
12.00 First Warning Signal for costal race Riga - Riga
2. july
"KIA" costal race Riga - Salacgriva
SALACGRIVA
3. july
"Sportland" costal race Salacgriva - Salacgriva
4. jūlijs
Costal race Salacgriva - Parnu
PARNU
5. july
Windward / leeward or costal race Parnu - Parnu
Prize giving ceremony
