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!”.