Nod în Papura regatta kicks off, prizes to be awarded by canoe world champion Catalin Chirila

The village of Sarichioi in Tulcea, one of Romania's most important Russian-Lipovan communities, is hosting the Nod in Papura regatta starting Friday, a sailboat competition whose prizes will be awarded by world canoe champion Catalin Chirila.

The event will open at 3:00 p.m. with a food fair in the village's mini-port, followed an hour later by sailing lessons for amateurs organized by the Romanian Nautical Club.

At 7:00 p.m., a harmonica recital by Alex Onofrei, founding member of the Nod în Papura Association, will be held, followed by screenings of the films Operatiunea Monstrul and Tainele Apei, an evening of storytelling with sailor Sorin Drugan, who circumnavigated the globe in a sailboat, and local fisherman Vasea from Sarichioi.

"Registrations for the sailboat race will be open until Saturday at 11:00 a.m. We already have nearly eight teams. Participation is free, but we encourage any donations to the association, as the effort is substantial and there are always gaps. For now, we rely solely on community support," Alex Onofrei told AGERPRES.

The sailboat competition will take place Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on Lake Razim, with the awards ceremony, conducted by canoe world champion Catalin Chirila, scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Saturday evening will conclude with concerts by Alexandra Listrat & Dubin, Zagan, Jurjak, and Orfeu.

On Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m., Lucica Adlibitum from the village of Mila 23 will perform a Lipovan music recital at sunrise on the lake shore, preceding the theater performance Omule, directed by Mike Savuica, and a guided tour of Sarichioi led by a local resident.

The event will close at 10:30 a.m. with a parade of the sailboats, while the food fair will remain open throughout the day and Romanian Nautical Club representatives will be available to teach interested visitors how to sail.