Five mixed crews competed on June 27 in the Regatta for the Cup of the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, the Mayor of Sopot, and the Commander of the 3rd Fleet of the Polish Navy. The competition took place in the waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk between Gdynia and Sopot on Delphia 28 sailing yachts. The grand finale took place at the Sopot pier. The regatta was part of the celebrations of the 55th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk.

Karwiny, Witomino, Chylonia, Redłowo, Oksywie - these are the names of the yachts on which crews from the University of Gdańsk competed during Friday's regatta. The vessels were lent by the Navy Sailing Training Centre. Thanks to the fact that all yachts were of the same class (Delphia 28) and had identical equipment, the outcome of the competition depended solely on the skills and teamwork of the crews. To ensure safety, each team was accompanied by an experienced skipper from the OSŻMW.

Despite the challenging weather conditions (winds of up to 6 on the Beaufort scale), the objectives were met and five races were completed. The participants competed for two prizes: the Cup of the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, the Mayor of Sopot and the Commander of the 3rd Fleet of the Polish Navy (for victory in the overall classification) and the Cup funded by the Commander of the Navy Sailing Training Centre (for the best time in the last race).

‘Five full races in very difficult weather conditions is no mean feat,’ emphasises Tomasz Aftański, Director of the Centre for Physical Education and Sport at the University of Gdańsk. I would like to express my appreciation to the Navy Sailing Training Centre (OSŻMW), because you did a great job, and to our crews. I think it was a unique opportunity to sail in such conditions under the supervision of experienced people.

Representatives of the judging committee, who watched the regatta from the DEMON motorboat, also noted the challenging weather conditions, but also the good work of the crews on the yachts.

‘The wind reached gusts of 8 to 16 m/s,’ emphasised Lt. Cmdr. Jan Talaśka, deputy commander of the OSŻMW. ‘Despite this, the crews, who were apparently sailing together for the first time, performed well on the water and coped with the difficult conditions.’

‘Generally, it was safe, although there were also some more “dynamic” moments,’ added Senior Warrant Officer Maciej Białowąs.

Lieutenant Commander Krzysztof Duszyński, Commander of the Navy Sailing Training Centre, highly praised the crews' preparation for the regatta: ‘We expected that our captains would have to participate more in this undertaking, but it turned out that the crews were selected very carefully and did not create any dangerous situations. Everything was under control at all times.’

Lieutenant Commander Marcin Wolski pointed out another aspect of the regatta: good fun in great company, which often turns out to be more important than everything else.

Participants' impressions

We also asked the sailors themselves about their impressions. Here are some of them:

An amazing experience. We usually see such waves and such tilts in films about regattas, and here we could really experience them. Great care from the captain (dr Dorota Pomorska, MWB UG and MUG)

It was a little windier than we expected, but difficult conditions make a good sailor (dr hab. Maciej Nyka, prof. UG, WPiA)

This is a fantastic break from our academic duties. The cooperation between the academic staff and students on the yacht was really great (dr hab. Małgorzata Balwicka-Szczyrba, prof. UG, Faculty of Law and Administration)

The regatta participants also talked about the challenges of getting the crew to work together, especially since the yachts brought together groups that had never sailed together before. The integration was considered very valuable: not only between departments, but also between generations, including the integration of academic staff and students who signed up for the regatta.

‘These regattas are a great example of cooperation between public entities,’ emphasised prof. dr. hab. Kamil Zeidler, helmsman of CHYLONIA, which won three out of five races. ‘It is a beautiful event celebrating the 55th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk. It was made possible thanks to the commander of the 3rd Ship Flotilla (Commodore Andrzej Ogrodnik), who agreed to allow the Navy Sailing Training Centre to organise these regattas for the University of Gdańsk. The support of the authorities of Sopot, where we meet, is also important. Let's hope that the regatta will become a permanent fixture in the calendar of both the University of Gdańsk and the Navy Sailing Training Centre.’

Ceremonial closing of the regatta

The Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, together with representatives of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities, arrived at the Sopot pier after the end of the regatta.

‘I feel great joy and pride in the “maritime character” of the University of Gdańsk, which we manifest not only through our daily scientific research and academic education, but also through our direct connection with the sea, for example through regattas,’ said prof. Piotr Stepnowski. ‘I would like to congratulate all the crews on their courage, strength, fortitude and, above all, their love for the University of Gdańsk. Thank you!’

‘Sailing is a school: a school of life and cooperation,’ said the Mayor of Sopot, Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim. She also emphasised the importance of investing in education and science, because without it ‘we will not change Poland’. She added that the city of Sopot provides all interested students with the opportunity to take sailing lessons. And what does this sport teach? ‘It is a beautiful lesson that it is not always sunny, warm or dry, but you are always together.’

The ceremony was also attended by Commander Marcin Wolski, acting head of training for the 3rd Ship Flotilla, who stood in for the commander. He acknowledged the need to organise events such as regattas, but reserved special words of praise for the crew:

‘It is you, ladies and gentlemen, whom I congratulate on the safe completion of today's regatta. I see smiling faces, and this is the most important thing,’ he emphasised.

All participants of the regatta, together with the skippers from the Navy Sailing Training Centre, received commemorative medals and gifts. Then, the winning crews were presented with statuettes modelled on the OSŻ MW logo: a cup for the best time in the fifth race, funded by the OSŻ Commander, and the Cup of the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, the Mayor of Sopot and the Commander of the 3rd Fleet of the Navy for the best result in the general classification. The ceremony was concluded with a group photo in front of the r/v Oceanograf, a research vessel of the University of Gdańsk.

‘This is the beginning of a great adventure!’ emphasised the Rector of the University of Gdańsk.

Regatta results and crew composition

In the overall classification, the best result (securing the main prize) was achieved by the crew of the CHYLONIA yacht (crew no. 3), composed of:

• Kamil Zeidler (Faculty of Law and Administration)
• Zuzanna Sylwestrzak (Faculty of Oceanography and Geography)
• Dorota Pomorska (Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG)
• Aleksandra Szydzik (Faculty of Law and Administration)
• Aleksander Czarnomski (Faculty of Economics)
• Skipper: Krzysztof Stromski

The best time in the fifth race was achieved by the crew of the yacht REDŁOWO (crew no. 4) composed of:

• Jacek Bełdowski (Faculty of Oceanography and Geography)
• Maciej Złotkowski (Faculty of Economics)
• Marta Rougier (Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology)
• Hanna Kobos (Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Jolanta Babińska (Faculty of Law and Administration)
• Skipper: Jacek Raflesz

Composition of other crews:

Crew No. 1 KARWINY

• Helena Goś (Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG)
• Piotr Andrzejewski (Foreign Languages Centre)
• Wojciech Machel (Faculty of Management)
• Ewa Kogut (Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG)
• Katarzyna Wajdowska (Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Skipper: Bartosz Osewski

Crew No. 2 WITOMINO

• Joanna Dąbal (Faculty of History)
• Dominik Wardyn (Faculty of Management)
• Katarzyna Filipek (Faculty of Economics)
• Małgorzata Balwicka-Szczyrba (Faculty of Law and Administration)
• Rafał Katarzyński (Faculty of Economics)
• Skipper: Mateusz Ludwin

Crew No. 5 OKSYWIE

• Filip Kawałko (Faculty of Economics)
• Grzegorz Sikorski (Faculty of Law and Administration)
• Maciej Nyka (Faculty of Law and Administration)
• Magda Kozak (Faculty of Chemistry)
• Natalia Gościńska (Faculty of Economics)
• Skipper: Ernest Szczepaniak

The regatta was organised thanks to the Navy Sailing Training Centre, which lent sailing yachts, provided experienced skippers and supervised the competition.

The event was sponsored by the Port of Gdańsk.

Photo report