“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.

Sailors were brave to sail the Baltic Sea and beyond. In the interwar period, Klaipėda became the centre of blue-water sailing in Lithuania. Klaipėda Yacht Club founded in 1929 separated from Lithuanian Yacht Club in Kaunas and became an independent association in 1932. The Lithuanian Sailing Union founded in 1935 was based on its experience and principles of performance.  

Lithuanian sailors successfully participated in regattas in Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden representing the country in the international sailing community. The year 1937 testifies to a solid inclusion in the ranks of sailing nations as the yacht “Žalčių karalienė” (meaning ‘Queen of Serpents’) won the cup in the first regatta around the island of Gotland. 

Members of other national youth organisations (e.g. “Santara”, meaning ‘concord’) joined the ranks of the sailors. The sailing sport was also considered one of the means to instil the maritime awareness in the members of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union which supports the national spirit. In 1937, after the marine rifle squad started operating in Klaipėda, the largest interwar Lithuanian yacht “Šaulys” (meaning ‘a rifleman’) entered the port.
 

A yacht “Šaulys” (meaning ‘a rifleman’) was the largest yacht in interwar period Lithuania. She was delivered from Rīga to Klaipėda on 13–17 May 1937. The yacht was christened on 6 June at Klaipėda Yacht Club, also marking the start of the sailing season of 1937. Godfathers and godmothers: director of the seaport Balys Sližys and governor of Klaipėda region Jurgis Kubilius with their wives.
Yacht of sea riflemen, “Šaulys” (1937–1940)
Type of the ship: Bermuda sloop
Site of construction Gothenburg (Sweden)
Materials: Mahogany
Ship dimensions: Length 16 m, mast height 23 m, draft 2.34 m
Crew: 12–14 people
No. of sails: T 6
Sail rigging: Grotto, staysail, sail area 130 m2
Engine: Approx. 10 hp
Technical advantages: Electric lighting, radio set
Sailing: In 1937, she took part in regattas held in the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, was used by riflemen to practise sailing. At the start of the season in 1938, she sailed to Danzig. “Šaulys” won the first prize in her group at the first international regatta held in Lithuania on 18–20 June 1938 in Klaipėda and Nida. After losing Klaipėda region, at the end of June 1939, having deepened the fairway, the yacht was delivered to the port of Šventoji. In July, she was actively used in sailing training by sea scouts and riflemen: two further voyages to Liepāja and Slite town on the island of Gotland were arranged.
Captains: Povilas Julius Labanauskas, Stasys Kuizinas, Henrikas Galvanauskas, Kristupas Plonaitis
Fate: During the World War II, the yacht was abandoned sunk in Liepāja.  

Nautical chart of the Baltic Sea  

The following sites are marked on the nautical chart: Klaipėda, Liepāja, Ventspils, Slite and Fårösund (Gotland island), Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Kiel, Oslo, London, Rīga, Tallinn, Danzig, Gdynia, Ustka, Nexø (island of Bornholm).

“We were sure our state would be happy only when drawn closer to the sea, having good seamen and beautiful ships who and which would make the name of Lithuania known on distant lands.” 
Sea scout Erikas Purvinas

Famous Lithuanian seamen sailed the scouts’ cutter “Budys”: Valteris Didžys, Erikas Purvinas, Kristupas Plonaitis, Leonas Knopfmileris, brothers Fricas Bernardas and Valteris Buntinas.
 

In 2026, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first sailing ship, “Budys”, which sailed to the Baltic Sea under the Lithuanian tricolour flag and the Lithuanian crew on board. This voyage held on 1 October 1926 marks not only the beginning of Lithuanian blue-water sailing, but also a significant shift in the people’s awareness of the state of Lithuania. Since then, the turn to the sea was being made with a stronger resolution, being aware that it is an opportunity to build strong, open and modern Lithuania. 

Klaipėda sea scouts’ sailing ship “Budys”

Type of the ship: Gaff cutter
Site of construction: Fried. Krupp A.G. Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel (Germany)
Year of construction: 1919 
Material of the gull: Oak
Ship dimensions: Length 14.50 m, beam 4.3 m, draft 1.7 m, displacement 20–25 t
Sail rigging: Sail area approx. 75–90 m2. The main gaff sail is a grotto, raised with the help of a gaff on the mast. In the front triangle, two flying jibs and a staysail. 4 sails in total.
Engine: 20 hp (cruising speed with the engine 6 knots, or nautical miles per hour)
Sailing: Over 6,000 nautical miles (between 1926 and 1933)
Captains: Martynas Brakas (between 1926 and 1928), Kristupas Plonaitis (between 1928 and 1930), M. Kukutis (between 1930 and 1931), Juozas Bindokas (between 1932 and 1933)
Fate: On 15 July 1933, “Budys” crashed after being carried by gusts of wind on the northern pier of Klaipėda port. The sea scouts V. Amulevičius, E. Jasiukevičius and V. Šidlauskas perished.
Remembrance: An anchor-shaped monument with a commemorative plaque has been erected at the site of the shipwreck. Between 1986 and 1990, the sea yacht regatta named after “Budys” was being held. In Klaipėda, there was a society of maritime culture, which in 1996 was named the Lithuanian Maritime History and Culture Club “Budys”.

Nautical chart of the Baltic Sea  

The following sites are marked on the nautical chart: Klaipėda, Palanga, Liepāja, Ronehamn and Slite (island of Gotland), Copenhagen, Helsingør and Helsingborg, Königsberg and Pilau, Visby (island of Gotland), Danzig and Rīga.