Yachting Clubs (ice-sailing training centers) in Lithuania:

Siauliai City Yachting Club (Lake Rekyva. Siauliai. Lithuania)

Siauliai City Yachting Club: Brief history of yachting on R?kyva Lake

• The first yachtsmen club lead by V. Kaveckas was registered in Šiauliai on 14 May 1934. The yachting base was established at Talkša Lake. In 1937 the club consisted over 80 members. 
• In 1942, a yachting sport club consisting of around 40 people was established, which was lead by pilot Stasys Bulota. 
• On 27 March 1942, a yachting course was organised in Šiauliai for the first time. It was attended by one of the best Lithuanian yachtsmen, eighteen-year-old Olegas Truchanas, who in 1940 was selected to represent Lithuania in the Tokyo Olympic Games by a Finn class yacht. In winter of 1943, he was one of the first to test an iceboat on R?kyva Lake. 
• On 29 June 1942, a first yachting sport festival, regatta, was organised on R?kyva Lake, in which three yawls took part sailed by Olegas Truchanas, Stasys Nikolajevas and Jonas Žilevi?ius. 
• The first Šiauliai and Kaunas yachtsmen inland waters regatta took place on 27 September 1942. Šiauliai residents (Truchanas, Nikolajevas, Žilevi?ius, Cepkauskas) won the challenger cup of the regatta. 
• On 02 to 03 October 1943, the first Lithuanian regatta of the olympic yawls was organised on R?kyva Lake, in which yachtsmen from Vilnius, Kaunas and Šiauliai participated. The Šiauliai team (S. Nikolajevas, O. Truchanas, J. Žilevi?ius) collected 74 points, the Vilnius team 22 points and Kaunas 14 points. Up to now, the Šiauliai Yachtsmen Club has preserved the valuable letters - recollections by participant of this regatta, member of Lithuanian students' corporation "J?RA", Kaunas resident Vytautas Zelenkevi?ius. 
• During the period of Soviet occupation, the first yachtsmen showed up on R?kyva Lake in 1961, when a yachting section was established in Šiauliai (from 1953, around 30 Šiauliai citizens took exercise by four sailing yawls, lead by trainer Šimkus). 
• The Šiauliai city yachting club lead by J. Strižinas was established in December 1962.
• In July 1962, the city yachting championship was organised on R?kyva Lake for the first time after the war. The second and third places were taken by yachting sport veterans, L. ?eponkus and J. Strižinas. 
• Since 1962 up to now, R?kyva Lake has been the permanent place for the organisation of Šiauliai and Lithuanian yachting championships and regattas. V. Baltrušaitis, K. Juškevi?ius, V. Kšanys, V. Kazi?nas, A. Kazlauaskas, A. Marcinkus, A. Ruzgys, S. Salinka and S. Mockevi?ius are among the most active Šiauliai yachtsmen. Later on, this honourable list was supplemented by a young generation, winners and prizemen of Šiauliai and Lithuanian championships and regattas: S. Nigametzianovas, S. Baltrušaitis, R. ?erniakas, V. Kondrotas, T. Jacas, K. Mataitis, R. Bugailiškis, E. Navickas, D. Bagu?ianskas, L. Bernotas, A. Pocius, M. Mažeikis, A. Eidukas and others. Aleksandras Š?epinas, Petras Punys, Sigitas Salinka, Dainius L?š?ius and others worked as yachting trainers and Irena Ži?kuvien? has been a trainer since 1988. 
• In 1997 and 2001, the Šiauliai yachtsmen took the second team places in the Lithuanian Youth Game. Achievements by yachtsman M. Mažeikis are considered as exceptional.
• The Šiauliai city yachtsmen club of today was registered in 2001. President of the club is Vaidotas Dijokas. Vice-president of the club is yachting trainer Irena Ži?kuvien?, who has trained not a single champion of the Republic of Lithuania. The club is proud of the efforts of its active yachtsmen and especially achievements by Aurimas Eidukas and it does its best in order to popularize yachting and iceboat sport. Internet website of the club: www.gerovejo.lt
• On 16 - 18 August 2002, when commemorating the 30th anniversary from the death of Šiauliai yachtsman, Australian photographer and environmentalist Olegas Truchanas, a regatta was organised on R?kyva Lake. Since 2003, the "R?kyva regatta for the cup of Olegas Truchanas" has taken place every year. In 2006, a shrine cross was erected in R?kyva for honouring the famous Šiauliai citizen (author - folk artist Zenonas Lazinskas). Photographers of Šiauliai city, inspired by the life path, ideas and works of Olegas Truchanas organise their exhibition during the regatta days and give as presents their photographs to those persons, companies and organisations which support the organisation of regatta and cultural events, take care of cleanliness, preservation of R?kyva Lake, and those which try to popularize yachting sport in Šiauliai: UAB "Šiauli? dujotiekio statyba" managed by Leonas ?epulis, UAB "R?kyva", R?kyva township (head Vaida ?elkien?), UAB "Rempaka" (manager Vidmantas Vaitkevi?ius), UAB "Gojus" (manager Vaidotas Dijokas), Department of Physical Education and Sports of the Šiauliai City Municipality, supermarket "TAU", Private Company "Ketveriuk?" (manager Darius Saldauskas).

• On 10 - 13 February 2007 the World Ice Optimist Championship was organised for the first time in Europe. 94 sails from 8 European countries and the US slipped past the ice on R?kyva Lake. R?kyva Lake was recognized by the European yachting specialists as one of the most suitable lakes for ice sailing sport all over Europe.