Great relaxation in 12th Kurbads boating trip!

The surprisingly hot summer and the orange warning in Latvia wasn’t an obstacle to stop Kurbads for the traditional boating trip. After a two year break, we once again returned to Latvia’s biggest river Daugava.

The 12th Kurbads boating trip started next to an ancient Old Believers church in Indrica where boating enthusiasts choose approppriate boats for their capabilities. Raimonds Dombrovskis, mentor of rowing, had a short briefing with two bulletpoints – the priority is safety, comfort follows closely. 15 km was the planned distance for the first day. The fastest rowers managed to make it in approximately three hours.

After arriving in camping place Skerškāni and setting up a camp employees gathered for yet another tradition – annual sports games where six teams with six people competed in three very democratic disciplines – volleyball, disc golf and archery! Consistency, luck and great team spirit was the deciding factor why All Blacks won the games. Congratulations to Edgars Krievāns, Salvis Ozoliņš, Raimonds Freimanis, Arnis Grunšteins and Māris Purvēns. Also, the youngest rowers had a special discipline with various awards.

After physical activities everybody gathered around the big soup kettle, soon followed by a marvellous musical performace by musician Dinārs Gulbis. But the major moment of the evening was the story telling by two most experienced Kurbads truck drivers. Renārs Jakobsons and Pēteris Ozoliņš made people really laugh about their adventures in professional life.

On the morning of second day we followed the trail of ancient Polock rafters going though pictureque Daugavas circle to finish our boating trip in camping Slutišķi.

Huge thanks to our mentor Raimonds Dombrovskis and his colleague Māris, Mežmalas laivas for boats, „Filmory Production” for artistic videos, Dobeles autobusu parks for buses, musician Dinārs Gulbis and the host of Skerškānu guest house!