Gdynia Maritime University GMU

After a six-month voyage, Gdynia Maritime University's sail training ship returned to its home port. On 11th November 2023, following the Independence Parade and the ceremony at the Memorial of Maritime Poland, locals, students, and GMU staff and members of the Senate, joined the Rector of GMU, Professor Adam Weintrit, and the Mayor of Gdynia, Dr Wojciech Szczurek in warmly welcoming the Dar Młodzieży into its home port.

On 29 May 2023, Dar Młodzieży set sail from Gdynia on an almost six-month voyage, covering 12,500 nautical miles. On board the ship were Gdynia Maritime University students and a 23-person group of students from the National University "Odessa Maritime Academy". The ports visited by the ship include Bremerhaven, Fredrikstad, Lerwick, Arendal, La Coruna, Lisbon, Cadiz, Mindelo and Horta. As part of its voyage, Dar Młodzieży took part in two Tall Ships Races events,  finishing second place in the general classification.

On 28 September at 19:10 GMT (22:10 in Poland) the Dar Młodzieży crossed the equator in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the crossing of the equator by Lwów - the Maritime School's sail training ship and the first ship flying the Polish flag to make the journey across the equator.

A group of 86 students 2nd year students from the GMU Faculty of Navigation returned to Gdynia on board. The group boarded two months earlier in the Spanish port of Cadiz and spent a total of 35 days working on the watch. Having returned home following the unforgettable experience of a traditional equatorial baptism, the future can now regard themselves as fully fledged sailors.   

During the current 248-day season, 118 secondary school pupils undertook seafarer training on board Dar Młodzieży from schools around Poland, as well as 361 students from:

• Hogere Zeevaartschool - Antwerp (104 persons),
• National University - Odessa Maritime Academy (23 persons),
• GMU Faculty of Marine Engineering (32 persons),
• GMU Faculty of Navigation (116 persons).