The boom in popularity of purchasing boats and yachts started in 2007 after the finals of the sailing rally: The Tall Ships' Races. The prices of new sailing boats begin from PLN 50 thousand, but motor boats are less expensive. It is increasingly common to buy boats abroad, as second-hand ones costing from two thousand Euro can be found in Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark or Germany. The boats imported from those countries are usually better equipped than their Polish counterparts. They are also well kept and incorporate new technological solutions. Owing to the importation of boats that have been used for not more than several years, the Polish fleet will be rejuvenated, as on the average, boats in Poland are now 30 years old.

A boat owner must also allow for the expenditures attendant upon mooring the boat at the harbour (approximately PLN 2 thousand a year) and its maintenance (from several to several dozen thousand a year).

Lakeside for the weekend, Adriatic for the week

Nonetheless, not all sailing enthusiasts (estimated to run into 5-7 thousand of people) can afford their own yachts - hence, the growing popularity of charters.

“Sailing is not a low-cost pastime, but it should not be regarded as something unattainable for those who cannot afford to buy their own yachts. Since you need to assemble a crew, the costs of chartering a boat are divided among several people,” says Jacek Łowiński, the owner of a yacht hiring company called “Skagen”.

“In Szczecin there are not too many customers who rent boats for a few days’ trip in the Baltic Sea or other warmer seas. Weekend sailing in small boats is more popular. On the other hand, we have many customers from Warsaw, Łódź, Cracow and Silesia who favour long cruises,” observes Grzegorz Imianowski of Agencja Żeglarska Skaut, a company engaged in chartering yachts in the Baltic Sea and selling sailing equipment. Skaut has entered into contracts with marinas in Croatia, Italy and Germany. “I believe that, considering the entire charter market, only about 10 per cent of our customers come from Szczecin. However, as far as the sailing equipment goes, the market in Szczecin is more lucrative, since many people who reside outside our region shelter their yachts here.”

Small yachts for cruises on the lakes and seafaring yachts together with a skipper, first mate and a crew can also be chartered in Centrum Żeglarskie [Sailing Centre] run by the town of Szczecin.

“You can go sailing without owning a yacht. The charter costs depend on the size and standard of the yacht as well as the length of the cruise, and they range from PLN one hundred to several hundred per person a day,” informs Sebastian Wypych, the head of the Centrum. “We also organise sailing courses for children at the monthly cost of PLN 40. Circa 100 children attend training courses at the Sailing Centre and we plan to double that number.”

Sailing in the very heart of Szczecin

The shortage of space in Szczecin harbours seems one of the most pressing problems that sailing enthusiasts must now face.

“Two years ago it was not an issue,” says the head of the Sailing Centre in Szczecin. “At present there are approximately 600 spaces for mooring sailing and motor boats. Hence, we are 150 – 200 short. At the Sailing Centre alone about 30 persons wait in line for their space in the harbour,” adds Sebastian Wypych.

The largest harbours in Szczecin are: the Gocław harbour, Pogoń harbours, AZS harbour, Porta Hotele, LOK, Centrum Żeglarskie, PTTK and Harcerski Ośrodek Morski on the Dąbskie lake. The charter company Skagen opened its own marina in Nowe Warpno this year. It is a great base for those who want to explore the sea – states Jacek Łowiński, the manager of the company. He believes that Szczecin functions as a trap for sailors, because if you go on a weekend cruise you only have enough time to enter Zalew Szczeciński [the Bay of Szczecin] and return.

All the harbours are located far from the city centre which makes it hard to promote sailing as an attractive leisure pursuit simply because this form of spending free time is not well known and noticeable. The drawback can be removed if Szczecin constructs the planned marina in the very heart of the town, next to the Wały Chrobrego promenade. The yacht port is to be erected on the Grodzka Island and on the Łasztownia Island at the Starówka Wharf. It will be created on floating units moored at berths and anchored to the bottom. The marina is planned to be equipped with sanitary facilities and a waste collection point. Szczecin will attempt to obtain additional funds for the construction from the Interreg program. The port is expected to be completed by mid-2013 and receive the participants of The Tall Ships' Races finals to be held in Szczecin in four years.

“A marina should have been opened in the centre of Szczecin a long time ago. Copenhagen is a useful example to follow – the royal marina is very expensive and, despite that, seems packed": comments Grzegorz Imianowski.

Waiting for further growth

“Last year the turnover from chartering boats increased by 75 per cent when compared to the year 2007,” says Jacek Łowiński. He believes that Szczecin and the surrounding areas only begin to be perceived as sailing bases. We still need to wait patiently for real growth. For the time being, even the access to toilets is an issue for Szczecin and the Bay of Szczecin. – We could venture a guess that is it enough to install a toilet on the Wały Chrobrego promenade and a real marina will spring up,” says Jacek Łowiński.

Andrzej Armiński, the head of “Mantra”, a company producing boats destined for harbours in the south of Europe, has a different opinion on further development of sailing. “Szczecin has an excellent location when it comes to sailing possibilities; a river, a lake, a bay and sea waters are all at our disposal. We are interconnected by both inland waters and the sea with Germany, Denmark and Sweden. There are no tides and the weather is mild, which all makes our conditions better than elsewhere. Different sailing clubs operate in our area, so certain entertaining events are held, but more leisure attractions could be organised. For some reason, they are not.”

Sailing by the rules

In Poland people who do not have any qualifications, i.e. who have not obtained a sailing licence, can sail boats that are up to 7.5 meter in length. One can sail such boats only during the day, on lakes and guarded sea waters, and in the distance of up to two nautical miles from the shore. Private boats do not need to have security cards or certificates confirming their inspections. However, certificates of this kind are required for commercial boats.

“I cannot imagine that one could sail safely without proper qualifications,” says Sebastian Wypych. “Those who go sailing usually have their sailing licences. I don’t think we could find a charter company that rents boats to persons who have no licences. Insurance companies are also disinclined to accept such practices, unless we charter a boat together with a skipper.”

However, it is based on the regulations of our law that over 90 per cent of boats in Poland are restricted to inland waters. Even in the countries with no access to the sea, such as Austria and Switzerland, the majority of yachts sail in the sea. Those yachts are moored in Adriatic or Mediterranean ports.

“The regulations that cut us off from the sea are our communist legacy,” indicates Andrzej Armiński. “Harsh technical and operational restrictions which were then imposed on sailors linger on and cannot be changed over one generation. In theory, the European Community regulations are binding upon us and thus, we can sail more freely, but somehow, we shy away from doing this,” he adds.

Lower funds and poor infrastructure cause that we head in the direction of the sailor’s Europe at a slow pace. Not very far from us, in the rocky fjords of Norway, sailing is not unusual and it is the fastest means of travelling and the most popular form of recreation. This is where the natural approach of Norwegians to water comes from. They take care to ensure safety, but they also have the possibility to bring up children through playing with them on the boat – a practice that would be inadmissible based on the Polish regulations of law.

(pt)