The race along the Lithuanian coast is called Burpilis, named after an archaic tool that Baltic fishermen used to remove water from their boats and pour it on the sails. This way, they believed, the boats would sail faster with the wind.
The regatta, which is starting on Wednesday, will include eight reconstructed historic boats.
The oldest one is the Kuršis from Nida. She was built by Eduardas Jonušas over two decades ago, following old methods of Curonian fishermen.
On Wednesday, the boats will sail from Nida towards the small harbour of Šturmai. The first arm of the race is dedicated to Ernst Wilhelm Berbom, a nineteenth-century fishing inspector who came up with the idea of marking boats with weathercocks in order to check if they were fishing in their proper areas.
The regatta is finishing in Klaipėda on Thursday. The city is hosting its annual Sea Festival this weekend, when visitors will be able to climb aboard the boats.
Be the first to comment