Lithuania to Latvia by coastal express
04.08.07The latest leg of the bank DNB NORD-sponsored Baltic Sprint Cup provided a fast and bumpy ride over the 110-mile course from Klaipėda in Lithuania to Ventspils in Latvia. Starting from the beautiful Lithuanian sail training ship Brabander the cruiser-racer fleet left the line off Klaipėda at 1340 with a 1.5-mile windward leg followed by a starboard-tack spinnaker fetch in a strong and squally SWly to the port entrance. A gybe to port and a northerly course followed giving a few hardy holidaymakers on the long golden sands north of Klaipėda an excellent view.
Part of Klaipėda’s annual Festival of the Sea is in honour of all those lost at sea. An impressive parade of sail and wreath-laying ceremony took place on Sunday 29th July under the overall direction of Port Captain Viktoras Ludocovicius. Three lines of ships and small craft left the harbour in naval formation headed by the SAR ship Sariai (Captain Vytautus Saulenas) and included the Baltic Sprint Cup fleet which took their start as the parade headed home.
The powerful Solair (60ft X-yacht, Peter Ufer) ate up the miles to score another line honours victory arriving at 01.08, with Jörn Bock’s Frühstück Director and Sheila Cooke-Witte and Karsten Witte’s Gunvør XL in close pursuit. The lively conditions were not deemed suitable by the skippers of Cutting Edge 1 and 2 and in view of the inexperience of some of their crew members the wise decision was taken by both boats to withdraw from the leg and rejoin the regatta when conditions had abated. The Lithuanian entry Vakare diverted to the Latvian port of Liepaja when a crew member sustained a head injury and after medical checks continued her journey with all crew on board. All three yachts safely arrived in Ventspils in time for the main reception at the city’s medieval castle of the Livonian order.
Leading the fleet on points overall with one leg left to sail are Class A Frühstück Director (Jörn Bock) 1, Philomena (Eggert Schütt) 2, and Gunvør XL (Sheila Cooke-Witte and Karsten Witte) 3; Class B Schüddelfrost (Friedrich Böhnert) 1, CHAOS quarante (Thomas Nielsen) 2, and Meltemi (Graf Sauma) 3.
