In 1864, the famous Latvian scholar and nationalist, Krišjānis Valdemārs, founded a school in the northern coastal town of Ainaži. This school was designed to train native Latvians and Estonians to be sailors. Valdemārs had called for Latvians to ‘Go to sea!’ He was eager for his countrymen to rise up out of their perceived ‘backwardness’ and begin to learn about and interact with the outside world. Quite quickly, 10 more schools opened up in other coastal locations, for example: Ventspils, Liepaja, Riga and Engure. These schools were unique in that they were conducted in the Latvian language, rather than in German or Russian as most education had been until then. The schools also offered this education at no cost to peasant families. Having access to free education conducted in the Latvian language made this an unprecedented opportunity for the children of peasant families. This was a revolution in education for the Latvian people. This new pride in being ‘Latvian’ was part of what was dubbed the ‘Latvian National Awakening’, instigated in the 1850s by men like Krišjānis Valdemārs.
Thousands of young Latvian men ended up taking advantage of this opportunity. Prior to enrolling in one of these sailing schools, a young boy (age 10-14) might find work on coastal sailing vessels in order to gain experience, while at the same time attending village schools in the winter to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. By the age of 15, a boy could then enter the sailing school proper. The schools ran their classes in the winter season when the seas were often too iced over for regular shipping to occur. It took two winters to gain the certification of Coastal Navigator (kabotāžas stūrmanis) which would allow the graduate to sail in the Baltic Sea and along other European coasts. If a young man wanted to become a Long-haul/Ocean Navigator (tāljūras stūrmanis) an additional two winters of classes were required. A young man needed to be 17 or 18 years old and have 24-36 months of sea-time experience to get his professional certificate. The head school at Ainaži even trained students to be sea captains which required even more intense study. In addition to the more formal education at the schools in these coastal towns, ship-building industries started up to help supply this new population of qualified Latvian seamen. The whole enterprise was a boon for Latvia and its people which helped to pave the way for eventual independence after WWI.
Andrejs Zekants was one of the thousands of graduates of these schools. He attended the school in the coastal village of Engure, just north-west of the capital of Riga. He graduated as a Coastal Navigator in 1902. The Engure school operated during the late 19th century as a professional school where a student could gain a qualification. Andrejs probably started attending the school around 1898 or 1899. Just as he was finishing in 1902, the Engure school was demoted to a preparatory school which meant a student could start their studies there but would have to transfer to another location to finish their studies and take the final exams. His graduation, along with other graduates, was announced in local newspapers. From the few existing records in the possession of the Engure school today, we believe Andrejs took his final exams at the Ventspils location. Andrejs went on to work as a sailor in the Baltic and North Seas for the next several years.
We have no evidence for where the rest of the Zekants boys went to school but they all became sailors and I believe they all must have gained a qualification. Many student records have been lost over the decades so there is no way to find out where they studied and what qualifications they received. Karl Zekants, Teodors Zekants, Žanis Zekants and their cousin Andrejs Blezurs all would have studied between 1897 and 1910. A photo that exists of brothers Karl, Andrejs and Žanis, that was taken at a studio in Estonia, may have been celebrating the youngest brother, Žanis’s graduation from sailing school around 1910.
At this time in the Russian Empire all young men age 21 could be called up for mandatory military service (there were a few exceptions, for example only sons like Andrejs Blezurs did not have to serve). If a young man gained a certificate from one of the maritime schools then he was in a much better position with regards to his service. Many young graduates entered military service early, directly after graduation, and were given priority status to choose their branch (for example choosing the Navy rather than the Army) and the usual duration of service of 4-5 years was reduced to 1-2 years. I believe this is what happened with the Zekants brothers. Photos exist of Andrejs and Teodors in their navy uniforms. All the brothers, due to fortuitous timing, missed the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. By 1912/1913, all of the brothers would have completed their service.
The Valdemārs sailing schools were severely affected by the outbreak of WWI. Men started leaving in order to serve in the military and merchant shipping all but ceased in waters that were now full of either German enemy ships or seamines. The schools were packed up and evacuated by the middle of 1915. They were relocated to locations in inner Russia and Ukraine. The Engure school restarted operations in the city of Kherson on the Black Sea. WWI saw the end of the great Valdemārs Sailing Schools. In 1920, a new and different kind of maritime school opened in Riga and was named the Krišjānis Valdemārs Riga Maritime School in honor of the man who started it all. But the Zekants family wasn’t done with sailing yet. The son of Lizette Pudze (born Zekants), the sister of the Zekants brothers, also became a sailor.
The location of the original school at Ainaži is today a museum dedicated to the history and preservation of the Valdemārs sailing schools. They house a repository of artefacts, books, information and historical records. The original location of the Engure school is also now a small museum and community centre with their own collection of photographs, artifacts and historical records of both the sailing schools and the local area.
It has been a fascinating journey over the past 14 years to learn about this little remembered moment of Latvian history.