City Yacht Club

56^o58‘10” N | 24^o05‘42” E

When visiting Rīga, sailing boats are welcome to moor at the City Yacht Club, located in the Eksporta Port harbour, to the north of Andrejsala and in a walkable distance from Vecrīga. There is convenient access to the harbour by car, motorbike and other types of motor vehicles.

There is an extensive network of natural waterways in and around Rīga: the Latvian capital is crossed in the middle by the Daugava, and the river's mouth connects it to the Gulf of Rīga to the northwest of the city. To the north, there lie two connected and large bodies of water: the Lake Jugla and Lake Ķīšezers, both of which are linked to the River Daugava as well as to the Lake Mazais Baltezers and Lake Lielais Baltezers. Moreover, there exists a route from the Daugava to the River Lielupe via a smaller river called Buļļupe.

In 2007, SIA Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums, the company in charge of the Andrejsala development project, equipped and opened the yacht moorage facility at the Eksporta Port (the original name was Eksportosta Marina) as a practical step in encouraging the development and stimulating the advantages of navigation. This is also in line with the often publicly voiced calls for developing, popularising and furthering the use of the Rīga's waterways.

In 2008, the handling of the yacht harbour's operations was entrusted to the company SIA Jahtas. During the winter of 2008/09 it managed to attract a number of yachtsmen, sailing enthusiasts and supporters, which lay the foundations of an informal specialist club in Andrejsala. On April 30, 2009, City Yacht Club was established reviving the tradition of a classic yacht club in (and for) the city of Rīga. The key aims of the City Yacht Club are the promotion of yachting/sailing activities in Andrejsala and the support for transformation of post-industrial waterfront areas in Rīga into ones that provide attractive recreation opportunities. Training course for youngsters and children are also among the Club's priorities. In May 2009, a special training programme for adults, Miller Sailing School, was launched with the Club by the long-standing captain of the Milda sailing boat, Rolands Millers.

Since the winter of 2008/09, the headquarters of the City Yacht Club has been hosting the team of organisers of the Baltic Open Regatta, led by Ilgonis Balodis.

Over the past couple of years Eksportosta has attracted a number of other sailing organisations and related businesses (the Latvian Skippi Yachting Association, SIA Baltic Trade Systems, a Latvian company representing the French yacht and cabin cruiser brand Jeanneau, the International TOPCAT Association and its Baltic counterpart).