Sailboats on Daugava

A particular type of sailboats on Daugava was built in the 20th century along the river. These sailboats were 25 – 30 m long and 4 – 5 m wide with 1 m draft, two spars and two sails of different size. The sailboats were used for transportation of firewood, pulpwood and props. Before crossing dangerous fords, sailboats were partly unloaded and sometimes carried along the riverside by horses. Distinct categories of bargemen on Daugava were the ones who worked on so-called stone-boats. These were in turn divided in two groups: stone-boats for transportation of minerals used in construction works (dolomite, gypsum, clay and gravel as well as lime and bricks produced in kiln factories), and stone boats used for keeping the fairwater lines clean from stones and shingle. The latter was often demanded for production of concrete and for filtration in canalization system in Riga. Normally a sailboat was used for five or six years until deterioration. On particular parts of Daugava where geographical conditions allowed before the World War II was local traffic of small steamships – between Krāslava and Daugavpils, Krustpils and Jēkabpils, and from Riga to Dole Island.