At the Port Festival historic sailing ships will enter the Daugava River; the ships will also offer trips

This weekend, from the 18^th to 20^th of August, the magnificent and diverse activities of the 2017 Riga City Festival will fill the capital, and it will be enriched with the Port Festival attractive and diverse programme. Among other activities, on Friday, August 18 one of the most magnificent parts of the Port Festival, Baltic Sail Riga 2017, a festival of historic sailing ships will be opened at the City Yacht Club in Ķīpsala, Rīga. 

Baltic Sail Riga is an international festival of historic sailing ships of the Baltic Sea, which has been organised for 20 years in various ports around the Baltic Sea: Klaipeda, Gdansk, Karlskrona, Sczcezin, Nystad and Rostock. This year, it will take place in Rīga for the first time. The recreation ship Lībava will take the visitors to the 17th century and let them feel the times when the Duke Jēkabs was reigning. The fishing trawler Lisette, which was particularly suited for coastal fishing and shallow waters, will show the conditions of fishermen’s daily work in the old days.

“There will be nine magnificent sailing ships for visiting. Aboard them visitors can feel various centuries and conditions: the festival will be attended by a warrior Viking ship as well as recreation and fishing ships. The festival in Rīga is a considerable event; therefore, we invite visitors not to miss it, in particular families with children,” said Jānis Grīslis, Commodore of the City Yacht Club. He stressed that the sailing ships would be available for free visits and paid trips on the Daugava River. During the recreational trip guests can set sails and try their skills on the steering wheel. Buy your tickets for the trip in advance here: http://www.bilesuserviss.lv/lat/biletes/vesturisko-burinieku-festivals-baltic-sail-riga-2017-50408/

The Baltic Sail festival will be opened on Friday, August 18 at 13:00 in Ķīpsala at the City Yacht Club, where captains and crews of the sailing ships will be greeted by Andris Ameriks, Deputy Chairman, Rīga City Council, Ansis Zeltiņš, CEO, Rīga Freeport Authority and Jānis Grīslis, Commodore, City Yacht Club. After the opening ceremony the ships will be opened for visitors. Guests will be entertained by Seal the Sailor, the mascot of the Port Festival, and his crew.

Visits aboard the ships will also be offered on Saturday and Sunday. Furthermore, on Saturday, August 19, at 17:30 in the aquatorium of the City Yacht Club, a battle of the historic ships will take place, followed by a review of the historic ships on the Daugava River at 18:30. In the evening, if you purchase a ticket, you can watch the fireworks of the Rīga City Festival from aboard a ship on the Daugava River. 

The aim of the festival is not only to popularise and introduce visitors to seafaring traditions and history but also to popularise the Baltic Sea as an excellent destination for seafaring.

Like elsewhere around festival activity venues, historic sailing ship visitors will be entertained by the mascot of the Port Festival, Seal the Seaman, and his crew who invite everyone to join the activities at the drawing studio, take a photo and get some mariner-worthy tattoos. Please note that in Ķīpsala by the City Yacht Club will be one of the Port Festival’s Seal Islands, where visitors will be able to receive cards to participate in the Seal Island tasks and qualify for valuable prizes.

In collaboration with TALLINK, special Seal Island tasks have been prepared, the completing of which will give a chance for five families or groups of four friends to win a TALLINK cruise to Stockholm with the ship Romantika or Isabelle. On Sunday at 10:30, Seal the Seaman will announce the happy winners live on-air together with the Radio SWH's creative team. Visitors who will have completed the Seal Island’s tasks will receive other prizes as well.

The procedure of the Seal Island’s tasks is simple: on Seal Island, receive a card listing various tasks that must be completed, and the card will be stamped to certify that task is completed. By collecting all the stamps from the different activity venues, the completed card will participate in a lottery.

Look for more information on the Port Festival on the website rigassvetki.lv and on facebook.com/RigasBrivosta, and on the historic sailing ships festival Baltic Sail Riga on the website www.balticsail.lv.