[ad_1]
On Thursday morning, the legendary ship “Raketa” officially started sailing on the Kaunas – Nida – Kaunas route. For the first time on the trip, a speedboat sailed with the passengers. Some of them did not hide their nostalgic feelings, because the rocket had been sailing several decades ago.
Flooded memories
The Rocket was tested last week, and official launches began this Thursday. The legendary ship will sail to Nida several times a week, and there is no shortage of people who want to sail. The first passengers interviewed did not hide the fact that they decided to sail to remember how they had fun a few decades ago.
“It just caught our eye then. I sailed the rocket when I was little. And then I sailed alone in the Kaunas lagoon to Rumšiškės, where there was a youth camp, and now it will be the Nemunas for the first time, I want to see the curves of the river. During I had the idea for a long time that I will have to swim and implemented it as soon as the swimming was announced, ”Jonas, a Kaunas resident who rushed to Raketa with his entire family, did not hide his good emotions.
“I have hair for about 6-7 years. Let’s go back to Rocket too. We will have a few free hours, so we will walk through Nida. We don’t have a specific route after swimming there, maybe we will walk through the dunes, maybe we will walk towards the sea. Now I am joking that this trip would not be like the Titanic. There are many escorts on the coast, so I hope we will return and everything will be great, ”joked Kristina, one of the first passengers to board the ship.
Although quarantine conditions are still decreasing, it is too early to relax. As a result, passengers were also greeted with a disinfectant. Some travelers covered their faces with masks or shields.
“In the past, the rocket was a vehicle, now it is entertainment. Like many passengers, apparently remembering their first sails, then it was still the Soviet year. We all waited and finally could see when we could swim again. Now, perhaps there is some drawback to swimming wearing the masks, but most have already gotten used to this feeling. I want the people around me to have no problem, so I also put on the panel, “said Raimis, who was sitting in the front row. The man added that sitting in a place like this will perfectly see the images flying around the country. It is true that the traveler assured that a four-hour trip would be sufficient for him and that he would return to Kaunas by other means of transportation.
Photo for Eitvydas Kinaitis
Advertise ticket promotions
Shipowners said that as soon as the news was announced that the rocket already had permits to navigate, calls and inquiries erupted when and for how long it would be possible to navigate. The tickets for the first bathroom were snatched away. Due to the great interest, the businessmen decided to thank: it will be cheaper to sail to Nida and return until Saint John’s Day.
“Until Joniniai, all tickets will cost 29 euros. So thank you for your support and this is an approach for responsible businesses. I have no doubt that the tickets will be stolen in an instant and from anyone who does not want to be caught because we can only carrying 58 passengers at a time. As soon as we announced the swim, we had over 5,000 in the first two hours. Before the first official rocket trip, Nerijus Šilgalis, the head of the public institution that oversees the Vandens Kelias ship spoke.
He added that you can take six bikes at once. Due to limited spaces, bicycles are also subject to tax. Just before the trip, the passengers had various questions about the animals. After the survey, it was decided that only small pets kept in special transport cages could swim to Nida together.
“Raketa” was never removed from the Kaunas symbols, although it remained on the shore for a long time.
According to N.Šilgalis, letters are constantly being received from various organizations, so it is not ruled out that in the future passengers can expect discounts in some restaurants, and perhaps even special “Raketa” tours. However, more detailed plans on how the ship will be exploited have yet to be revealed.
Entrepreneurs spent around 100,000. euros Since the speedboat did not sail anyway last year, costs have increased another 30 percent.
I wish good wind
The mayors of Kaunas and Neringa accompanied the legendary ship “Raketa” on its first official voyage. City leaders were delighted that such a route had been revived this year and hoped that everyone would recover from it.
Last year, when the updated rocket was introduced, Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis was skeptical about swimming, this time saying the Nemunas was unsuitable for navigation. But there is more optimism in his speeches this year.
“Both nature and the Directorate of Waterways took over the bed of the Nemunas River and organized it. Swimming will now be possible, “said V. Matijošaitis.
The Kaunas chief only escorted the first travelers, but this time “Raketa” did not sail. He noted that the municipality does not yet plan to become a sponsor of the ship, but, like everyone, hopes that it will be possible to attract new tourists to Kaunas.
“Private companies have rebuilt it, that’s what they tell. Now we are all waiting with the tourists spread out. In fact,” Raketa “was never removed from the symbols of Kaunas, although it remained on the shore for a long time. I have sailed the old “rocket” in Kaunas and even on the Volga river. Only I think this ship will be much quieter now, “said the chief of Kaunas.
Visvaldas Matijošaitis / Photo by Eitvydas Kinaitis
The mayor of Neringa, Darius Jasaitis, did not hide the joy of a speedboat sailing to Nida, as this is another opportunity to reach an exclusive corner of Lithuania.
“Three years ago, there were people who wanted to launch the rocket into the Nemunas, but they failed.” And now I am happy with the people who do business out of love for the Nemunas, Kaunas and Neringa, and launched such a ship, which my parents sailed. Previously, this ship was one of the main vehicles, therefore it is a very happy day and you want to wish the squadrons, ”said D.Jasaitis.
He noted that due to the “rocket”, the port of Nida had to be reorganized somewhat. A few days ago, special hoods were installed that allow the ship to dock safely. Also, the port building was reborn and looks just like when old Rocket sailed into the port.
“Sometimes we joke that those who want to pass again must buy a Rocket ticket and dive into those old days when they arrive at the port.” Despite the old port design, people in Neringa will definitely have something to do: we have a lot of public spaces, a lot of beach, we weren’t even closed during quarantine, so by keeping distances people will definitely find something to do, ” said the mayor of Neringa.
Photo by Darius Jasaitis / Eitvydas Kinaitis
Nemunas water level
Even before Raketa’s first trip, I had to work with the Nemunas riverbed. In some places, the river level is much lower, but representatives from the Directorate of Waterways point out that shipping should not stop this year.
“This day is of great importance for Lithuanian river transport. This day is the culmination of a year and a half of work on the preparation of the street, the management of the port pier and the coordination of legal matters. For a couple of years , we have been actively cleaning the Nemunas, starting them in early spring to make the canal really usable. This year we already have a very good situation on the street. Even if there is a drought, we believe that the boats will be able to navigate the river “said Vladimir Vinokurov of the Directorate of Waterways.
According to him, there are fifteen more difficult sections in the Nemunas, but probably the biggest challenge awaits in the corners near Jurbarkas. The depth of Nemunas in such river curves is estimated to be approximately 1.5 meters. These are the shallowest places in the Nemunas.
[ad_2]
