Everyone had the opportunity to get acquainted with the raft tying, which took place on Saturday, the last day, because on Sunday at 10 o’clock the rafting will begin, followed by the boat trip at 12 o’clock.
On Sunday, rafters and boaters will be welcomed at the “Ods” recreation base.
On Sunday, everyone who participated in tying the raft will get on the raft.
Visitors came from all over the county. However, the special guests were the rafters from Gauja, who shared not only their experience, but also admitted that they are very happy that Kurzemnieki have also taken it upon themselves to develop the tradition of rafting.
The initiator of the rafters’ festival, Guntis Rolis, rather refers to himself as the promoter of the idea.
“It started with the fact that I was studying history and it was also about rafters. People appeared who had experienced it themselves as boys and said that it would cool [to atsākt].”
His credit is said to be that he talked to “some idiots” who will be involved in the whole creation.
“And now you can see how many guys there are today. And that really touches me. I see there are new people coming. Now the young ones are learning how to tie them under the guidance of the old ones.
Yes, they don’t go as fast as they did in the beginning,” but he is glad that there are young people who are willing to learn rafting.
G. Rolis points out that the only, oldest and greatest expert on rafts on the side of Barta is Kārlis Lubīns, who as a twelve-year-old boy himself once climbed on a raft.
K. Lubīns admits that he is very pleased with the event.
“When I saw as a child [plostošanu]I did not know that in seventy years I would achieve what I experienced as a child.”
The gentleman, who is now in his eighties, says that he once lived by the river itself and that it was only a few meters from the door of the house to the shore.
“I could see any tree, log, raft through the window. That’s why I already got sick with that raft,”
he laughs.
Now K. Lubin can’t wait for Sunday rafting.
He shows the portal that he has partially prepared already today – the phone is placed in a cellophane bag. “Anything can happen,” says the pensioner with a laugh.
The Makuž family from Grobiņa and the Ziemeki family from Liepāja visited the rafters’ festival for the first time this year. However, according to them, this is a very nice and welcome tradition.
“We wanted to see something new,” admits young Kristaps Ziemelis, who convinced his parents to come to the event.
Visitors also had the opportunity to participate in the “Balancing on a log” challenge.
There was no shortage of people who wanted to cool off on a warm day for everyone who applied. Most admitted that the water was not as warm as they would have liked.
The only one who managed to climb onto a log in the water and then get dry on the shore was Raivis Kalējs, the deputy chairman of the South Kurzeme regional council for development issues, who was persuaded to participate by the audience, who chanted his name for a long time and persistently.
The best time was set by the youngster Esther Ceriņa from the folklore group “Bārtenieki”, who stayed on the log for almost a minute.
“Feel good! I didn’t even expect it would happen. I was very scared”, admits the girl after the performance.
