On 26-27 November, representatives from Narva-Jõesuu and Toila yacht clubs went on a study trip to Eagle, Finland, where they met with. both local sailing and yachting clubs Kotkan and Hamina Sailing Club. as well as representatives of the city of Kotka. The main objective of the trip was to strengthen the links between the yacht clubs of Eastern Estonia and Eastern Finland and to create a long-term “partnership network” to support sailing, marine tourism and wider regional development.
Focus on children’s sailing, regattas and cooperation between coaches
During the two days of meetings, they discussed ways to cooperate on the following topics:
- organising and participating in svert and keelboat regattas;
– developing children’s sailing and sailing tourism;
– exchange of experience between coaches;
– organising joint training camps;
– organising flotillas between clubs;
– preparing joint cross-border projects, including EU cooperation programmes;
– preserving the traditions of yacht clubs and strengthening the cohesion of Estonian-Finnish ports.
Commodore of Narva-Jõesuu Yacht Club Anatoly Ivanov invited the sailors of Kotka and Hamina to participate in the Hungerburg regatta in 2026, which will be held for the ninth time. As the regatta will be transformed into RS FEST, Finnish sailors will be able to take part with locally rented RS Tera, RS Aero and RS Feva yachts, provided by partner RS Sailors Estonia.
At the end of the meetings, the club commodores solemnly exchanged club pennants – a gesture symbolising a new friendship and the start of cooperation.
Finnish clubs’ camps provided a valuable lesson learned
During the study trip, the Estonian delegation had the unique opportunity to see the “kitchen side” of the daily work of Finnish yacht clubs: how large maritime events are planned, how the volunteer system works, how the clubs communicate with local authorities and what practical solutions are used to cope with security and logistics.
The Finnish partners highlighted the strengths of the Ida-Viru yacht clubs: active youth sailing, competitive ability and great enthusiasm. They also praised the determination with which the sailing culture is being developed in the region.
The Vellamo Maritime Centre and the Katariina Seaside Park were also visited.
The delegation also visited one of Eagle’s most famous symbols – the Maritime Centre Vellamo, which houses several museums and cultural centres under one roof. Vellamo offered a good example of how physical exhibits can be combined with modern interactive solutions, creating a modern and engaging experience for visitors. This approach will also serve as a valuable model for future museum solutions and tourism services in the Ida-Viru region.
In addition, they visited the Katariina Seaside Park, which has been transformed from a former industrial site and is now one of Eagle’s most popular leisure areas. The marina area and the historic lighthouse were also visited.
Thanks to partners
Narva-Jõesuu Yacht Club would like to thank the Commodore of Kotka and Hamina Yacht Clubs Patricia Broas and Arto Saarinen for their hospitality and the supporters of the Estonian delegation – Narva-Jõesuu City Government, Toila Yacht Club and regional partners.
The study trip gave a lot of new contacts, experiences and ideas on how to develop maritime tourism, yachting and international cooperation in Ida-Viru. The next joint activities between Estonian and Finnish yacht clubs are already being planned.
Representatives of the Ida-Viru Waterways Development Project and partners from the port of Vasknarva, the municipality of Alutaguse and the Toila-Jõhvi region also participated in the study trip.
The study trip takes place in the framework of the project “Development of the waterways network and tourism business in the Ida-Viru region”. The study trip is free of charge for the participants, the project is financed by the European Union Cohesion Policy Fund under the measure “Attractive regional business and living environment” from the support measure for the implementation of regional development strategies.
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