Read the other parts of our travel diary:
Farewell to Estonia! The fact that we can now tackle the last leg of our summer cruise on our own keel after an involuntarily long stay with a defective cooling water pump is not only thanks to the surprisingly fast delivery of the spare part, but also to the technical skill of the crew: after four days in Kuressaare on the island of Saaremaa, both diesels of the "Rolling Swiss 2" are running again. Thumbs up! The most beautiful noise in the world emanates from the open bulkhead to the engine room.
Our summer cruise with the Cruising Club of Switzerland, which began a fortnight ago in Karlskrona in southern Sweden and took us across the islands of Öland and Gotland with plenty of wind and waves to Saaremaa in Estonia, will end in Riga as planned. However, we no longer have time to explore the extensive Bay of Riga and divide the direct distance of almost 100 nautical miles into several sections. So it's going to be an exhausting day.
Riga ahead
It starts quite relaxed, with an almost blue sky and a wind that is only just starting to rain. But it gets worse faster than expected. Directly ahead, a huge thunderstorm cell grows into the sky, and not only does it freshen up far too early, it also comes from the wrong direction. The wind is too far to the west and we can just about hold our course across the Irben Strait, which connects the Bay of Riga with the open Baltic Sea, without the roll becoming too powerful. Even when we have passed Cape Kolka and the flat coast of the Kurland peninsula now lies to the west, the fetch is big enough to stir up an unpleasant wind sea against us. Even the small island of Ruhnu with its Gustave Eiffel lighthouse, Estonia's southernmost outpost in the bay, can only be seen in the east as a dark hatching over the cloud-covered chimney. We had actually wanted to spend a night there too.
Although the wind drops a little in the meantime, it picks up again before we reach the southern end of Riga Bay and the first needles that form part of the Riga skyline become visible. Not directly on the shore. The centre of the Latvian capital and metropolis of millions lies around ten kilometres inland on the River Duna. You can make out the futuristic-looking radio tower, some high-rise office blocks and the odd large church. Soon the black and white lighthouse at the mouth of the dune is added, as are loading cranes. Lots of loading cranes.
After around eleven hours, we leave the Baltic Sea and enter the river, which seems as imposing as the Elbe or Rhine but is only navigable for a few kilometres above Riga. For the next few kilometres, however, one industrial plant follows the next, with loading bridges, piers and terminals. Mountains of coal and large boiler tanks. Not everything is state of the art, but much of it is. Gas tankers, bulkers and containers lie to the left and right, and there is even sailing in the fairway. As if the sun wanted to compensate us for the dreary day, there is now even golden light at the end of our trip.
Latvia feels good
We follow the buoy line through a wide bend. It's an interesting cruise until the first bridge spans the river. On the east bank is the ferry landing stage with the large "Riga" sign and the old town centre is clearly visible behind it. Fender out and lines ready, then we enter the City Yacht Club, whose entrance is located on the island of Ķīpsala just below the bridge between long causeways. The young harbour master welcomes us at the jetty. Now let's get going! It's already nine o'clock in the evening and after a day of eating crumbs, we're really hungry. We march into the old town centre on foot. It has been raining heavily; the wavy concrete on the Vanšu Bridge is full of puddles. Latvia feels good!
On the other bank, Art Nouveau and cobblestones, much more urban than Tallinn, more like Budapest or Prague. Older houses with stepped gables and the cathedral, a prime example of brick Gothic architecture, are unmistakably part of the culture of the southern Baltic region. It suddenly becomes livelier, with restaurants and bars everywhere - and crowds of younger people and tourists. You hear a lot of Russian. We end up at Steiku Haoss on Līvu laukums, one of the central squares, and clink our glasses. The cruise is over - but at least we have one more day tomorrow for Riga, which we really like here and now ...
Service
1st City Yacht Club
The Pilsētas jahtklub marina with its modern pontoons could not be better located for exploring Riga. From the boat you have a clear view of the Old Town on the other bank of the Dune, which is less than two kilometres away. Taxis and public transport are also available, and there is a supermarket nearby (300 metres). Electricity, water, sanitary facilities and WLAN are available. It is advisable to book by telephone in high season. Tel.: +371-2-919 69 43. www.pilsetasjahtklubs.lv
2. the old town
of Riga includes a large number of historical buildings from different eras. Riga Castle (Rīgas pils), which was built by the Livonian Order in the 14th century and is now the seat of the Latvian President, is located directly on the river. Not far away are the two medieval religious buildings that characterise the cityscape: Riga Cathedral and St. Peter's Church. Both are splendid examples of brick Gothic architecture in the Baltic region during the Hanseatic period. The Schwarzhäupterhaus on the Town Hall Square also dates from this period. Although it was destroyed in the Second World War, it was reconstructed in all its splendour between 1993 and 1999. It was named after a guild of North German merchants.
3rd Basteiberg
The old town centre is surrounded by the site of Riga's former fortifications (Bastejkalns). In the 19th century, the area was transformed into a park whose hilly landscape with winding paths and trees creates a lot of distance from the city. The moat was extended to form a canal. Excursions on classic canal boats start and finish near the Freedom Monument, and the route (including the River Düna) takes you around the old town. www.rigabycanal.lv
4th Freedom Monument
As the connecting axis between the Old Town and the newer parts of the city, the Freedom Boulevard crosses the parks in a straight line. The Freedom Monument (Brīvības piemineklis), which was erected in 1935 during Latvia's first period of independence, stands here. Fortunately, both German and Soviet occupiers left the 42-metre-high structure untouched. The female figure at the top embodies freedom and self-determination with a self-confident look, while the three golden stars in her hands symbolise the three historical regions of Latvia.
5. art nouveau quarter
Like St. Petersburg, Riga - which, like the whole of Latvia, belonged to the Tsarist Empire at the transition to the 20th century - was also characterised by Art Nouveau. Many magnificent and artistic examples have been preserved, for example in Alberta Street (Alberta iela), where the building at number 12 now houses the Art Nouveau Centre (Jūgendstila centrs), which has an interesting exhibition on the importance of the style for the city's history. www.jugendstils.riga.lv
6. central market
If you want to find out what Latvia has to offer in terms of culinary specialities, you shouldn't miss a visit to the Central Market (Centrāltirgus). Seeing, marvelling and tasting are the order of the day in the huge five halls - such as Sklandu Rauši (carrot and potato cake), hemp butter (spread) or Melnais balzams (herbal liqueur). www.rct.lv
7. the Düna
It rises in Russia as the Dvina and crosses Belarus before flowing 1020 kilometres into the Baltic Sea as the Daugava - the eleventh longest river in Europe. However, only the lowest section as a feeder to Riga is of economic importance as a waterway. Although it can also be used by larger vehicles over long stretches (especially in Belarus), a number of dams with power stations, but without locks, have interrupted continuous navigability. The first reservoir (with damming) begins 30 kilometres upstream of the mouth of the dune.
Literature
Coastal handbook "Baltic Sea. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Baltic States, Poland" (published Sept. 2020). 480 p., 380 illustrations, hardcover; 69,90 €. ISBN 978-3-667-11846-2. www.delius-klasing.de
Sea charts "NV. Atlas Series 6 - Poland - Lithuania - Latvia". Atlas (stapled), 11 over-sailors, 6 district and 27 detailed maps; 89,80 €. www.nvcharts.com
Harbour guide "East Baltic Coast. Sail in Estonia and Latvia". 168 p., plans and illustrations, spiral bound. ISBN 978-9934-8816-8-8. Free download: www.eastbaltic.eu
Backgrounds "The Baltic Sea: Space - Culture - History" by Martin Krieger. 296 p., 65 illustrations, 7 maps, hardback; 39 €. ISBN: 978-3-15-011206-9. www.reclam.shop
Travel guide "Citytrip Riga" by Martin Brand and Robert Kalimullin. 144 p., numerous illustrations, folding map, paperback; €12.95. ISBN: 978-3-8317-3311-8. www.reise-know-how.de
Weather/climate
Our boat
Trader 42 (GRP semi-glider) - Length: 13.30 m - Width: 4.30 m - Height: 3.80 m - Draft: 1.20 m - Berths: 6 (3 double cabins) - WC/shower: 2/2 - CE category: A - Motorisation: 2 x 380 hp (diesel) - Equipment: VHF radio system, autopilot, plotter with radar and AIS, generator, EPIRB, bow thruster, dinghy
The club
On this trip, we travelled with the Cruising Club of Switzerland (CCS). With around 6,500 members, the Bern-based Central Club is one of the largest water sports clubs in Switzerland and is a leader in offshore training in the recreational boating sector. The motorboat division forms its own subdivision within the club with its own yacht, which is used for training and travelling trips in northern and western Europe. www.ccs-motoryacht.ch
Nautical information
The Bay of Riga (Latvian: Rīgas jūras līcis, Estonian: Liivi laht) is separated from the open Baltic Sea by the Estonian island of Saaremaa to the north and the Kurzeme peninsula, which belongs to Latvia, to the west. The Irben Strait (Irbes jūras šaurums) between the Sääre peninsula on Saaremaa and the northern coast of Courland forms the most important shipping access to Riga Bay. In the north, there is another connection via the much shallower Moonsund.
With an area of around 16,000 km² (roughly equivalent to the size of Schleswig-Holstein), its greatest length is around 170 km in a north-south direction and 130 km in a west-east direction. The average depth is 26 metres. It is bordered by the EU member states Estonia and Latvia; when travelling from another Schengen state, no clearance is required. On both the Estonian and Latvian sides, there are a number of towns and villages with harbours that are also suitable for pleasure craft and often have modern jetties. In addition to Riga, the larger harbours are Jūrmala and, on the Estonian side, Kuressaare and Pärnu. The three islands in the Bay of Riga, Abruka, Ruhnu and Kihnu, also all belong to Estonia and have marinas.
Also interesting:
- How the situation is developing for recreational boaters on the Baltic Sea
- Journey: From Stockholm to the north
