Lithuanians spread across the world’s oceans. In 2003–2004, a captain Valdemaras Vizbaras from Panevėžys and his sons set out on long voyages around the Norwegian fjords on the yacht “Rėja”, visited the Faroe Islands and Iceland. In 2008–2010, Andrius Varnas with his daughter Rasa and son-in-law Egoi set sail from Mingė on his self-built yacht “Ragainė 2” and sailed around the world. A solo traveller Saulius Menkevičius crossed the Pacific Ocean on his yacht “Karina” in 2009–2010.

In 2014–2015, Rokas Milevičius with a Dutch team “Team Brunel” participated in the “Volvo Ocean Race” regatta and became the first Lithuanian to start in this prestigious offshore yacht race. Currently, Linas Ivanauskas can be safely called the most experienced Lithuanian sailor at sea. He sailed around the world twice (on the yacht “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’) in 1993–1995 and on “Ambersail” in 2008–2009) and participated in all the world’s most important offshore regattas.

Southern Europe has become a common holiday destination for Lithuanians who rent sailing yachts for leisure and sightseeing voyages. More and more Lithuanians moor their sailing yachts in the Mediterranean region. Lithuanians increasingly bravely set out on long-distance sailing voyages for the family: some live while continuously travelling on a catamaran (Emilija, her husband Steve and daughter Adelyna), others choose challenging voyages in the Arctic latitudes (Kęstutis and Živilė Juška), yet others are sailing around the world (Joana and Vytautas Juškevičius and their daughter Luka, medical professionals from Klaipėda Dalia and Linas Jarašiūnas).

“Sailing means freedom.” (Ignas Miniotas, 1932–2026)

Romualdas Adomavičius, 
15 July 2026 

Since 2004, The yacht “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’) (captain Osvaldas Kudzevičius) started her mission to get to know the sea and sailing from the start of the tall ships’ youth regatta “The Tall Ships’ Races” in 2004. It is continued by a sail-training schooner “Brabander” purchased by Klaipėda University in 2006.

Celebrating the millennium of the name of Lithuania, sailors set out on a voyage “The Millennium Odyssey”, the around-the-world sailing voyage, on the sports yacht “Ambersail” in 2008–2009. After gaining experience, the yacht “Ambersail” (captains Linas Ivanauskas, Simonas Steponavičius, Raimondas Šiugždinis) successfully participated in prestigious regattas in Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Malta, the USA, Australia and the Caribbean islands.

In 2011, a yacht “Jiggy Jiggy” (captain Šarūnas Sodeika) won the first prize in its class in the regatta around the island of Gotland “Gotland Runt” and repeated the achievement of the yacht “Žalčių karalienė” (meaning ‘Queen of Serpents’) in 1937.

In 2018, Lithuanians purchased a VO65 sea-going yacht seeking to compete with the world’s sailing elite in the prestigious around-the-world regatta “The Ocean Race”. In 2021 and 2023, the yacht “Ambersail 2” (captain Rokas Milevičius) participated in the reduced format regattas “The Ocean Race Europe”.

For the past decade, several to ten Lithuanian yachts compete in the annual ORC offshore sailing championships held in the Baltic and the North Seas.

A few decades were enough to feel the advantages of a free state by the sea. The whole world opened up for the sailors, and they set sail for it. At the same time, Lithuania’s horizons also expanded: the tricolour flag waved across all world’s seas. Today, more and more Lithuanians are voyaging under sail. Some are attracted by regattas and extreme challenges, others by sightseeing voyages and adventures at sea.

World map
(the route of a yacht “Ambersail” that sailed around the world in 2008–2009)

The following sites are marked on the nautical chart: Klaipėda, Kiel, Las Palmas, Cape Town, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland (New Zealand), Ushuaia (Argentina), Punta Arenas (Chile), Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Santos (Brazil), Miami, New York, Boston, Halifax, Almeria (Spain), Lisbon, Dublin, London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Rīga, Klaipėda.

After the declaration of independence of Lithuania in 1990, sailors did not take long to feel the refreshing gusts of freedom. They also actively contributed to the preservation of freedom. The yacht “Dailė” (meaning ‘fine art’) (captain Romanas Borisovas) made two short voyages of national significance between the port of Eckernförde (Germany) and Klaipėda. During them, a radio station designed to ensure the communication of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania with the world as well as the first postage stamps of restored Lithuania were delivered.

Between 1992 and 1995, the yachts “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’) (captain Steponas Kudzevičius) and “Laisvė” (meaning ‘freedom’) (captain Ignas Miniotas) sailed around the world under the Lithuanian tricolour flag for the first time. In January 1995, sailors Jonas Limantas, Ričardas Ramanauskas and Linas Ivanauskas were the first Lithuanians to reach the Cape Horn (South America) on a yacht “Aura” and disembark there. This place is called the “Mount Everest of sailing”. Lithuanian sailors of the interwar period could only dream about it.

Sailors played a significant role in restoring the independence of Lithuania. In May 1989, three yachts, “Dailė” (meaning ‘fine art’) from Vilnius (captain Žvaigždras Drėma), “Audra” (meaning ‘storm’) from Kaunas (captain Ignas Miniotas) and “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’) from Klaipėda (captains Osvaldas Kubiliūnas and Steponas Kudzevičius), set sail for the Voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. They sailed inspired by the slogan: “For the honour of Lithuania – for the unity of the nation. [...] Let the Atlantic Ocean, which has separated us for many years, become the bridge of unity.” In this way, an old dream of the nation and sailors was fulfilled.

Symbolically, two “sister” yachts, “Nerija” (meaning the peninsula Curonian Spit) (captain Vincas Valinskas) and “Ragana” (meaning ‘a witch’) (captain Aidas Jurkonis), carried political and cultural representatives of the Lithuanian SSR from Klaipėda to the week of Lithuanian studies held on the island of Gotland. On 6 August 1989, in the village of Katthammarsvik on the island of Gotland, representatives of various political forces, both Lithuanian and expatriates, signed the Gotland Communiqué and unanimously declared: “The vital goal of all Lithuanians in the world is the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania!”.

Nothing will stop us now!

(The captain Steponas Kudzevičius wrote in the journal of the yacht “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’) when setting sail from Klaipėda on 13 May 1989.)

The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean via the route Klaipėda–New York–Klaipėda proceeded by three yachts: “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’) from Klaipėda, “Audra” (meaning ‘storm’) from Kaunas and “Dailė” (meaning ‘fine art’) from Vilnius. It started on the 13th of May and lasted until the 2nd of September. The Lithuanians sailed from the Soviet Empire to the Lithuanians in the USA where they were welcomed like Lithuanian Liberty Sailors.

Nautical chart of the Atlantic Ocean  
(based on a historical image)

Lithuanians also sailed behind the “iron curtain”. Vytautas Brazevičius (a journalistic penname Fredas E. Trumanas), a son of Lithuanians who emigrated to the USA, a former sailor of the navy, sailed with his family on a sailing yacht “Kulaola” from his home in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco in 1939. Until 1959, Vytautas travelled around the islands and coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean on a sailboat with his wife and son.

Bronius Rožinskas, who repatriated to Poland, is considered to be the first Lithuanian who crossed the Atlantic Ocean. From September 1962 throughout July 1963, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Szczecin to Miami (USA) on a yacht “Hermes 2” he built himself, and later he reached Los Angeles.

It was possible to undertake long-distance maritime challenges even under the conditions of Soviet occupation. This was proven in 1975 by the crew of a yacht “Vilnis” (meaning ‘a wave’) led by the active sailing athlete Jurgis Vilemas, who set out on a voyage beyond the Arctic Circle. Sailing from the Baltic Sea through canals, Ladoga and Onega lakes, “Vilnis” reached the White Sea and visited the ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk.

“No further than eight nautical miles from the shore!”. For a long time after the war, the occupation authorities did not allow Soviet Lithuanian sailors to sail to the open sea. Even having a permission, it was only possible to sail along the coasts, staying no further than eight nautical miles from the shore. The sea, closed in the post-war years, became wide-open slowly.

Since 1970, sailors of the Lithuanian SSR took part in the Baltic Sea Cup sailing regatta. A fleet of approximately 100 sea-going yachts would start in Leningrad (present-day St Petersburg) and race in legs between Tallinn, Rīga, Pionersky, Klaipėda and other ports. In around 1980, opportunities opened up to participate in international regattas, such as the “Ostseeregatta”, held in the German Democratic Republic (Warnemünde and Rostock), where Lithuanian sailors repeatedly won prizes.

These regattas were the furthest voyages of Baltic sailors during the Soviet era. In the 1970s and the 1980s, residents of Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda replaced wooden vessels with plastic yachts. Larger and faster yachts “Lietuva” (meaning ‘Lithuania’), “Dailė” (meaning ‘fine art’), “Audra” (meaning ‘storm’) and “Žilvinas” (meaning a male name of a national fairy tale character) more and more frequently would appear in the sea.

Seagoing “L-6” (“Leningrad-6”) class yacht
Type of the ship: Bermuda sloop 
Site of construction: Leningrad (USSR)
Year of construction: After 1963
Material: Oak, pine
Ship dimensions: Length 12.35 m, beam 2.8 m, draft 1.9 m, displacement 7 t
Sail rigging: Grotto and staysail, overall sail area 60 m2
Crew: 6–8 people
Sailing: The first yachts of this class in Soviet Lithuania were “Banga 2” (meaning ‘Wave 2’), “Atlantas” (meaning ‘Atlas’) and “Fata Morgana”. The routes were limited to the Baltic coast and Poland. Only “Vilnis” (meaning ‘a wave’) sailed to the White and the Barents Seas in 1975.

Nautical chart of the Baltic, the White and the Barents Seas  

The following sites are marked on the nautical chart: Klaipėda, Liepāja, Rīga, Tallinn, Danzig, Gdynia, Leningrad, Rostock, Warnemünde, Arkhangelsk and Murmansk.
 

Along with active sea scouts, owners of private yachts also sailed in the Baltic Sea. A pharmacist Kazys Mažonas stood out among them; between 1930 and 1933 he visited Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Great Britain on a two-masted yacht “Gulbė” (meaning ‘a swan’). A teacher and writer Salys Šemerys, who took over the yacht from him, continued his sea voyages around the Baltic Sea, naming the ship “Tegu” (meaning ‘let it be’). A doctor Valteris Didžys, who visited the neighbouring shores of the Baltic Sea on board a small “Hai” class yacht “Rūta” (meaning ‘rue’), was not far behind them.