On the Boat along the Narva River

By Georgi Ignatov

The port of Narva, included into the BSR network of small ports within SuPortNet project, is being developed towards further integration into network and common marketing activities of water tourism possibilities. Today it is ready to receive up to 4 leisure boats at a time. It is equipped with WI-FI and video-control system. Places for rest and leisure activities are organised. In the nearest future the Narva City Government plans to continue improvement of the infrastructure of the Narva port. The number of mooring places will be increased; they will be equipped with electricity and water supply. New slipways and hoists will be installed. Special emphasis is laid on joining up two parts of the port, thus creating possibilities for water tourists to continue the trip along the river from the Gulf of Finland up to Lake Peipus. Improved conditions for stay in Narva and sailing along the Narva River will attract more people who prefer travelling by boat. More than 1,150 lakes and rivers in Estonia flow either into the Baltic Sea, or into Lake Peipus and the Narva River, which forms Estonia's north-eastern border with Russia and empties into the Gulf of Finland.

The Narva River is navigable up to Narva from the Gulf of Finland and from across Lake Peipus. In the city of Narva its flow is interrupted by river rapids and a water power plant. Because of the growth of interest in travelling by boat along the Narva River, the city actively develops the water tourism. Authorities of Narva (Estonia), Ivangorod, Kingisepp and the Ivangorod Centre of Sustainable Development (Russia) have jointly developed and been implementing a project "Development of the Narva River water tourist routes and integration into the Baltic Sea small harbours network", co-financed by Baltic Sea Region Interreg III B Neighbourhood Programme, Interreg III priority North and Tacis Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. The project is aimed at creation of safe water routes along the Narva and Rosson rivers, undertaking navigation, environmental surveys, schemes to protect nature from environmental damage, improve port infrastructure and increase attraction of water tourism on the Narva River.