Davis Gersons (father, left) and Gatis Gersons (son) are avid Latvian kayakers in their Sea Eagle 380x Explorer Kayak.

LATVIA, Lithuania, and Estonia are the Baltic nations, located on the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. Latvia’s capital, Riga, is the largest city in that country and the center of industry, commerce, culture, and finance in the Baltic region. Located at the mouth of the Daugava river, Riga is an important Baltic seaport.

Latvia also a great place for kayaking and water tourism.

We heard recently from Gatis Gersons, 31, of Riga. Gatis told us, “I work at a bank and enjoy various sports such as boating, tennis, soccer, orienteering, and others. This area has many rivers, lakes, and the Baltic Sea. Latvia has a coastline more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) in length. I have done various kinds of boating ranging from summer trips on rivers, fishing trips on lakes, trips between islands on the sea, boating in rivers with fast rapids, including slalom competition.”

Kayak competition’s a family tradition

Gatis writes, “This is me and my dad, taken during one of the rounds in the Latvian Water Tourism Championships in the river Aiviekste.”

“There is a local kayaking slalom competition with several rounds in the spring and the autumn,” says Gatis, “providing an opportunity to do slalom on various rivers with fast rapids — it’s very exciting and a great way to spend time together with my father.” Gatis’s father, Davis Gersons, studied at the University of Latvia in 1970’s and was a member of the university’s sport club. Today, he owns and manages a small clothing and textile wholesale distribution company. And he’s busy passing on a love of competitive kayaking to his son

“I am sitting in the front, and my dad, Davis Gersons, is sitting in the back. This is one of the rounds during the Latvian Water Tourism Championships on the river Amata in the North-Eastern part of Latvia.”to his son.

Kayaking & Camping in Latvia

“I purchased my Sea Eagle  380X inflatable kayak  last summer,” says Gatis, “and I did about 4 or 5 camping and fishing trips. My favorite was on the rivers Engure, Rinda, and Irbe with a beautiful finish in the Baltic Sea . The nature in this part of Latvia is very untouched and beautiful since it used to be a militarized zone. Here you can see some photos from these rivers. Also, a trip around small islands next to the Hiiuma Island in the territory of Estonia was very beautiful.”

He further recommends boating on “rivers like the Amata in springtime, Aiviekste, Dīvaja, Gauja, Lielupe; and also lakes like Baltezers , Kisezers, Riga , Usmas ezers , Lilastes, and others.”

Boating versatility is key

Why’d Gatis choose the Sea Eagle 380x Explorer Kayak? “I really enjoy the ease of use and a super versatility of applications for this boat. I can use it for fishing trips, camping trips for several days, slalom in fast rapids, and short picnics on a nearby island. I am usually very skeptical about things that serve many purposes, but Explorer 380x is truly very universal.”

“And I can pack and unpack it in just a few minutes,” says Gatis. “It takes only about 25% of my car’s trunk. You can take a boat with you almost everywhere, and it is good for fast rapids as well.”

Up next: European kayaking vacations & competitions

Gatis tells us that in few weeks, “My wife and I will be spending a week in Nida, Lithuania. I am looking forward to test my Sea Eagle boat on waves in the sea. Hopefully the wind will be strong enough, because last summer there was almost no wind all the times when I was on the sea.”

“I have few rounds of kayaking competition coming up this autumn with my dad in the Latvian Water Tourism Championships,” says Gatis. We at Sea Eagle will be rooting for Davis and Gatis, father and son, our favorite Latvian kayak team!

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