Lithuania has seen a huge increase in the number of sailing yachts in the last few years. But the demand for these recreational boats has surged during the coronavirus pandemic and the country is now facing an infrastructure problem.
A few years ago, there was plenty of space to park yachts in Lithuania. But now, those who want to keep their boats in the country have to wait in line, according to Algimantas Stanislauskas, Captain of the Klaipeda Castle Harbour.
“There are no berths available at the moment. It is difficult to say how many people are queuing up, and it is impossible to count the number of times we have to say that there are no places available every day,” Stanislauskas said.
According to him, there are around 300 permanent berths in the Klaipeda Castle Harbour. The Smiltyne yacht harbour, which has 65 places, is also full.
“There are no places, everything is rented out. Temporary places open up in case of someone sailing out for a few weeks. But it is not possible to sign a long-term contract at the moment,” said Paulius Siauka, head of the Smiltyne yacht harbour.
Problems also arise when harbours need to welcome foreign guests. The Klaipeda Castle Harbour is planning to increase the number of places available by up to 22 this year.
According to the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA), there are currently 1,137 yachts in the country, compared to 1,096 last year and 1,068 a year before.
There has been an increase in the number of people buying yachts during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Stanislauskas.
“I think the pandemic contributed to that because people couldn’t leave the country, but boating and sailing were allowed, and that’s what encouraged people to buy yachts. People may also have more income,” he said
Most of the yachts registered in Lithuania are second-hand, but their prices have increased considerably due to a sudden rise in demand, said Rokas Arbusis, a sailing trainer with experience in the second-hand yacht trade.
“I only managed to buy the yacht last summer, because I negotiated the price and signed the contract in early spring. In the meantime, the prices of second-hand yachts have risen by up to 50%,” Arbusis said.
But Lithuanians are actively buying new yachts too. The boat company Laivo Sandelis sells around 50 new yachts every year, the average price of which is 100,000 euros.
“Most of the time, Lithuanians want as big and as cheap a boat as possible. But there is a second group of buyers, where more and more often they are looking for quality, exclusivity, they want to be the only ones in the harbour with such a boat, and that is where the biggest growth is,” said Simas Sakalinis, head of Laivo Sandelis.
Nevertheless, the shortage of parking space at Lithuanian harbours might discourage people from buying yachts. Klaipeda is planning to solve the shortage of berths in 2-3 years. (LRT/Business World Magazine)