Voyage History

1983 – On 22 July 1983, the Dar Młodzieży set off under the Command of Captain Tadeusz Olechonowicz for Osaka World Sail 1983, a tall ship rally to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Osaka Castle.  On board the ship were 119 students of the Higher Maritime School in Gdynia (the predecessor of GMU), who spent an entire semester at sea. As she sailed in parade formation into Osaka, the frigate kept all sails set as she entered the inner harbour, drawing cheers from the crowds gathered along the quay. During the 12 days spent in Osaka, more than 200,000 guests visited the ship. The voyage lasted 217 days, with the ship covering 28, 065 nautical miles and visiting 13 ports.

1984 – The Dar Młodzieży's next voyage was a transatlantic expedition to Canada for the sailing rally Quebec 84 in honour of the 450th anniversary of the pioneering expedition of Jacques Cartier in the discovery of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Dar Młodzieży set sail on 31 March, carrying students from the Higher Maritime School in Szczecin. The rally officially began on 18 April in Brest, France. The first stage was sailed to Bermuda, the second along the coast of North America to Halifax. On this stage, Dar Młodzieży triumphed over such rival ships as the American Eagle and the Bolivian Simón Bolívar. The fleet of tall ships then sailed together to Gaspé, at the mouth of the St Lawrence River, before continuing to Quebec, the host port of the gathering.

On 10 July, Dar Młodzieży, under the command of Captain Leszek Wiktorowicz, set sail from Gdynia for another regatta – Operation Sail '86 to Newcastle. During the four-day stay, crowds of visitors passed over her decks, and the ship was judged the most beautiful tall ship of Operation Sail '86. During the race, the winds were not favourable to our vessel and, despite the gruelling efforts of the students and crew, Kruzenshtern was the first to cross the finish line.

1987/1988 – Dar Młodzieży made her longest and most celebrated voyage when she sailed to the tall ships' rally marking the bicentenary of European settlement on the Australian continent.  The expedition was planned as a circumnavigation of the globe and, after an enthusiastic reception in Australian and New Zealand ports, the sailing ship set a course for the Cape of Horn. The Dar passed abeam of Cape Horn on 6 March 1988 at 07:15 hours ship's time. In all, over the course of 274 days, she left 36,352 nautical miles astern. During the voyage, she received the so-called Boston Teapot award for the longest uninterrupted passage under sail, covering 1,241 nautical miles. 

Additionally, during 1987 – 1988, the Dar Młodzieży completed various short training voyages around the Baltic with members of the Maritime League and other youth organisations connected with the sea.

1992 – the ship's next ocean adventure and participation in the Columbus '92" rally organised on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America took place in 1992. The white frigate won 3rd place in Class A.

1997 – another great expedition to Japan (28.12.96 - 20.08.97) where the Dar Młodzieży took part in "Osaka Sail '97" and celebrations for the centenary of the port of Osaka. The ship took first place in the regattas, beating many famous vessels in Class A.

1998 – the ship took part in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races 98 in the ports of Delfzijl, Falmouth and Lisbon. In Falmouth, the ship was visited by Prince Anna. As well as Falmouth, the ship visited the ports of Stavanger, Kiel, Bremerhaven, and Szczecin.

1999 – the ship visited the ports of Travemünde, Cobh, and Kiel. In Rouen, it took part in the L'Armada de la Siecle tall ship rally. Next, it sailed for Saint Malo, where it was involved in the start of the Cutty Sark Tall Ship Races. The remaining ports visited by the ship in 1999 were Kristiansand, Bremerhaven, Aalborg, Szczecin, and Copenhagen.

2000 – Dar Młodzieży called at Southampton, then took part in the OpSail 2000 tall ships races on the Cádiz–Boston and Boston–Amsterdam routes, visiting ports in Bermuda as well as Norfolk, Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York, Halifax, Scheveningen and IJmuiden. On the return journey, it called at Bremerhaven and Copenhagen.

2001 –  the Dar visited Visby, followed by Delfzijl, Bremerhaven and Travemünde. On the route Gdynia–Antwerp–Ålesund–Ørsta–Måløy–Flåm–Bergen–Esbjerg, she took part in the Cutty Sark 2001 regatta and also played an active part in a Baltic rescue operation involving a yacht that had suffered steering failure in very difficult weather conditions (Force 11 winds on the Beaufort scale). On the return leg of the journey, the ship called at Douglas, Portsmouth, Antwerp, and Ostend.

2002 – the ship took part in the Europalia culture and art festival on the route Bilbao-Santander-Gijon. Next, it sailed to Delfzijl and Kiel. During a voyage on the route Gdynia-Bremerhaven-Santander-Portsmouth-Bremerhaven-Travemünde, the Dar Młodzieży took part in the Tall Ship Races. Also in 2002, the ship visited: Stockholm, Świnoujście, Wismar and Copenhagen.

2003 – visits to Malmo, Edinburgh, where it took part in celebrations during the International Festival of the Sea. In the same year, the frigate came in second place on the route Gdynia-Riga as part of the Operation Sail event. Visits were also made to ports in Rouen, Delfzijl, Turku, Travemünde, Bremerhaven, Aarhus, La Coruna and Szczecin. 

2004 – the Dar called at the ports of Kalmar, St. Petersburg and Riga. It also took part in many events connected with International Maritime Day in the ports of Barcelona, Brest, Antwerp, and Bremerhaven. In Klaipėda, the white frigate received an enthusiastic welcome from the city authorities and an orchestra, which played the national anthems of Poland and Lithuania. It also visited Stavanger and Cuxhaven.

2005 – the ship sailed to the ports of Riga and Kalmar. In Oslo, the ship took part in the World Shipbuilding Exhibition, and while in Portsmouth, in the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. On the Cherbourg–Fredrikstad route, the frigate took part in the second stage of the Tall Ships' Races 2005 and in the Sail International Tall Ships Races. In Amsterdam, it was involved in the Sail 2005 rally. Other ports visited in 2005 were: Klaipėda, Bremerhaven, Oslo, Szczecin, Douglas, Blyth, Newcastle, Ijmuiden, Amsterdam, Helsinki and Tallinn.

2006 – on the Saint-Malo–Lisbon–Cádiz–La Coruña–Antwerp route, the ship took part in regattas organised by Sail Training International and also visited the ports of Oslo, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki, Rotterdam, Las Palmas, Bremerhaven, Świnoujście, Travemünde and Warnemünde.

2007 – the Dar took part in the World Cup Pokal regatta on the Travemünde–Warnemünde route; in the Tall Ships' Races on the Aarhus–Kotka–Stockholm–Szczecin route; in Sail de Ruyter, starting from the Dutch port of Vlissingen; and in Cuxhaven Sail.   Young people came aboard as part of the J8 summit, a meeting organised with the involvement of UNICEF. In cooperation with the IMO, seamanship training was also provided for 50 students from African maritime academies.

2008 – 15 students from Antwerp Maritime Academy undergo training on board the Dar Młodzieży. The training lasts three weeks. The initiative is a success and results in further cooperation. In June, the Dar Młodzieży takes part in celebrations for Maritime Day in Szczecin. The ship finishes the first stage of the Tall Ship Races in 3rd place. During the races, it visits Liverpool, Maloy and Den Helder. Dar Młodzieży also took part in the L'Armada Rouen, Hanse Sail Rostock and Lütte Sail Bremerhaven 2008 regattas.

2009 – The year began with a voyage to Antwerp with Polish sailors, where students of the local maritime academy, Hogere Zeevaartschool (Antwerp Maritime Academy), began their practical training. The tall ship then sailed with them to the ports of Bilbao and Brest. This was followed by a series of voyages to Warnemünde, Świnoujście and Szczecin. Another important event was participation in The Tall Ships Races, this time hosted by Gdynia, St Petersburg, Turku and Klaipėda. Later, Dar Młodzieży took part in Hanse Sail Rostock, Lütte Sail Bremerhaven and DelfSail 2009. In September, cadets from African countries sailed to Santander in Spain together with the Academy's students.  This was already the third such joint project between the Maritime Academy and the IMO.

2010 – The season began on 22 February with practical seamanship training for students of the Gdynia Maritime Academy's Faculty of Marine Engineering. Later, the ship sailed to Antwerp with a group of more than 100 sailors, where students of Antwerp Maritime Academy began their practical training. Their programme included visits to the ports of Cobh and Tangier. Before the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta in Volos, the ship visited Piraeus, where it hosted IMO Secretary-General Mr Efthimios E. Mitropoulos. From Volos, Dar Młodzieży sailed to Varna and Istanbul, and in the third stage, from Istanbul to Lavrion, the tall ship won Class A. During the annual Tall Ships' Races, the ship called at Antwerp, Aalborg and Kristiansand, then took part in Hanse Sail Rostock and visited Świnoujście, Amsterdam and Bremerhaven. In September, as part of the Chopin Year celebrations, 100 musicians from the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice set out on a voyage to five European ports.

2011 – The season began with voyages involving sailors and students of the Antwerp Maritime Academy, who sailed from Antwerp to Ponta Delgada. Later in the season, the frigate returned to the Baltic via Hamburg and Lübeck, and subsequent training voyages were conducted mainly there with students from the Maritime Academies in Gdynia and Szczecin, as well as pupils from maritime secondary schools. On the Greenock–Lerwick–Stavanger–Halmstad route, the ship took part in the Tall Ships' Races; on the Klaipėda–Turku–Gdynia route, in The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta; and in Rostock, in Hanse Sail.

2012 – As in the previous year, sailors kicked off the new sailing season and were replaced by students of Antwerp Maritime Academy on the Antwerp–Cadiz–Santander route. Later, Dar Młodzieży called at Antwerp, Hamburg, Szczecin, Oslo, Fredericia and Rostock, before sailing from Gdynia to take part in The Tall Ships Races on the St Malo–Lisbon–Cadiz route, finishing second and third respectively in Class A in the successive stages. First-year students and candidates of the Faculty of Navigation concluded the practical training season with Baltic voyages.

2013 – During 10 voyages, Dar Młodzieży visited 12 foreign ports: Antwerp (twice), Porto, Dublin, Hamburg, Bremerhaven (twice), Dunkirk, Rouen, Den Helder, Aarhus, Warnemünde, Skagen and Amsterdam, as well as Szczecin (twice). Practical training was completed by 487 students of the Maritime Academy in Gdynia, 231 students of the Maritime Academy in Szczecin, 209 pupils from maritime secondary schools, 71 sailors, 130 students of Antwerp Maritime Academy, and 92 Polish medical doctors – a total of 1,220 people. Dar Młodzieży took part in tall ships gatherings on seven occasions: Escale à Dunkerque in Dunkirk; L'Armada de la Liberté 2013 in Rouen; Sail Den Helder 2013 in Den Helder; The Tall Ships Races 2013 in Aarhus – participation in the start of the race; The Tall Ships Races 2013 in Szczecin – representative duties during the regatta finale, attended by President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski; Sail Bremerhaven 2013 in Bremerhaven; and Hanse Sail 2013 in Warnemünde. In addition, the ship took part in the special "Voyage for the Heart" on the Gdynia–Skagen–Amsterdam route. The voyage was joined by 92 Polish cardiologists who were delegates to the European Congress of Cardiology. It was a form of gratitude to the Dutch for the help provided between 1983 and 1990 to Polish children with congenital heart defects.

2014 – As part of eight training voyages, Dar Młodzieży covered 16,191 nautical miles and visited 12 foreign ports. With students of Antwerp Maritime Academy on board, the ship sailed to Funchal in the Azores and took part in the "Operation Sails Gdynia 2014" gathering, commemorating the first Gdynia Operation Sail of 1974. In most ports, the ship participated in tall ships rallies. In the Falmouth–Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Regatta, despite light winds, Dar Młodzieży was the fastest in its class.

2015 – The balance of the sailing season was as follows: more than 10 training voyages, covering 14,852 nautical miles; 1,003 trainees, including 404 students of the Maritime Academy in Gdynia, 128 students of the Maritime Academy in Szczecin, 125 students of the Maritime Academy in Antwerp, 262 pupils from maritime secondary schools in Gdańsk, Szczecin and Świnoujście, and 84 sailors; on the Amsterdam–London route, a group of 49 doctors – Polish delegates to the European Congress of Cardiology – sailed on board; 12 foreign ports were visited (Antwerp, Praia da Vitória, Hamburg, Klaipėda, Kiel, Kristiansand, Warnemünde, Amsterdam, Aalborg, Bremerhaven, Den Helder and London) and 3 domestic ports (Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście), with the ship taking part in tall ships gatherings in most of them, including such prestigious events as Kieler Woche, Sail Amsterdam and the Port of Hamburg anniversary celebrations.

2016 – The season began with a training voyage by students of the Faculty of Marine Engineering of the Gdynia Maritime Academy to Barcelona and Sète, as part of the celebrations marking the 350th anniversary of the French port. There, the trainees were replaced by cadets from HZS in Antwerp, who, as part of their practical training, sailed into the Atlantic, called at Horta in the Azores and completed their training in Antwerp. They were then replaced by pupils from maritime schools, who subsequently called at Hamburg, Gdynia and Świnoujście. Further practical training voyages were completed by students of both Polish Maritime Academies, along with participation in gatherings including DelfSail (Delfzijl), Hanse Sail Rostock (Warnemünde), the Tall Ships Races (Antwerp–Lisbon) and the North Tall Ships Regatta (Blyth, Gothenburg), where Dar Młodzieży proved the fastest of all the competing tall ships. On the Gothenburg–Gdynia route, sailors took part in the traditional voyage from the 'Sailors on the Dar' series. In September, the Dar Młodzieży served as a film set for the German film Cold Water. The final voyage of the 2016 season was a Baltic journey with pupils from the Inland Navigation School Complex in Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In the 2016 season, the frigate spent 274 days at sea in 9 voyages, covering more than 18,000 nautical miles. 

2017 – The season began with secondary-school pupils who, after initial training, sailed into the Baltic and called at Świnoujście on the way. Students of the Maritime Academy in Szczecin then took part in the next voyage from Gdynia to Antwerp. After a changeover of trainees, the jubilee 10th training voyage for students of the local maritime academy began in the Belgian port, taking them to Le Havre and Cadiz. Students of the Faculty of Navigation of the Gdynia Maritime Academy then replaced the Belgian students on board before sailing to Gdynia. The next two months – May and June – were devoted to the training of Algerian Navy sailors and officers, the future crew of the tall ship El Mellah, which was being built in Gdańsk. On 4 July, Dar Młodzieży celebrated its 35th anniversary in grand style. During the celebrations, Anna Moskwa, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, read out a letter from Prime Minister Beata Szydło announcing government patronage of the planned round-the-world voyage to mark the 100th anniversary of Poland's regained independence, including participation in World Youth Day in Panama. Dar Młodzieży then took part in The Tall Ships Races on the Turku–Klaipėda–Szczecin route and in Hanse Sail Rostock in August. The remaining training voyages were carried out without calls at foreign ports. During the season, over 270 days and across 11 training voyages, Dar Młodzieży covered more than 11,000 nautical miles.

2018–2019 – Before the 2018 season, Dar Młodzieży underwent several necessary repairs and inspections ahead of the major round-the-world voyage. Once these had been completed, three further training voyages were undertaken – two by students of the Faculty of Navigation at Gdynia Maritime University and one by trainees from Antwerp Maritime Academy. In 43 days, the ship covered more than 5,000 nautical miles.

20 May 2018 saw a ceremony to bid farewell to the frigate as it set out on its second circumnavigation in history, under the banner 'Independence Sail'. During the voyage, the following ports were visited: Tallinn, Copenhagen, Stavanger, Szczecin, Bremerhaven, Bordeaux, Tenerife, Dakar, Cape Town, Port Louis (Mauritius), Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Osaka, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Acapulco, Panama, Cartagena, Port Everglades–Miami, Nassau (Bahamas), Ponta Delgada and London.

On 28 March 2019, after 313 days and more than 38,000 nautical miles, Dar Młodzieży returned to its home port.  More information on the voyage can be found here:

Two days after the end of the Independence Sail, Dar Młodzieży set off on another voyage with trainees from the Maritime Academy in Antwerp. After a stay in Vigo, the ship returned to Antwerp and then sailed home to Gdynia. May 2019 was devoted to inspections, repairs, and the replenishment of necessary supplies. Further training voyages began at the end of the month. The ship took part in the prestigious Tall Ships Rally L’Armada Rouen 2019, followed by the annual Tall Ships Races (Aalborg–Fredrikstad–Bergen–Aarhus). The remaining training voyages took place in the Baltic Sea without calls at foreign ports. After the Independence Sail, Dar Młodzieży spent a further 134 days at sea and covered nearly 9,500 nautical miles. 

2020 – The season had looked promising: plans included the annual training voyage with Antwerp Maritime Academy, as well as participation in numerous tall ships gatherings, including Sail Bremerhaven, Sail Amsterdam, the Tall Ships Races 2020 and Hanse Sail Rostock.  The pandemic disrupted those plans. Only in June was Dar able to put to sea on the first training voyages of the year. The ship completed three outings, all in the Baltic Sea and without entering ports, in order to minimise the risk of the crew contracting COVID-19. Over the course of 118 days, The Dar Młodzieży covered nearly 5,500 nautical miles.

2021 – The beginning of the year was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The season began on 21 March 2021, when a group of students from Antwerp Maritime Academy came aboard. The ship sailed to Antwerp, where the group was replaced by pupils from secondary schools in Gdańsk, Świnoujście and Kędzierzyn-Koźle. After returning to Gdynia, the trainees rotated again, this time with pupils from ZCEMiP in Szczecin and a second group from Kędzierzyn-Koźle embarking on the ship. They were followed by Gdynia Maritime University students. Dar Młodzieży took part in Sail Åland 2021 in Mariehamn, the Żagle 2021 gathering in Szczecin, Hanse Sail Rostock and Maritime Days Bremerhaven. During the whole season, Dar Młodzieży covered 10,576 nautical miles, called at 10 ports, and provided sea training for 621 trainees.

2022 – The season began with a voyage to Antwerp with trainees from the maritime school in Gdańsk. This was followed by a voyage on the Antwerp–La Coruña–Antwerp route with students from Antwerp Maritime Academy. Subsequent voyages provided seagoing training for pupils from maritime schools in Świnoujście, Gdańsk and Kędzierzyn-Koźle, as well as students of the Faculties of Marine Engineering and Navigation at Gdynia Maritime University. In May and June, celebrations marking the frigate’s 40th anniversary were held in Gdynia. On that occasion, a commemorative jubilee plaque funded by the Lechosław Bar Foundation for the Support of Maritime Education was also unveiled. In the summer, Dar Młodzieży took part in The Tall Ships Races 2022 on the Esbjerg–Harlingen–Antwerp–Aalborg route. The ship ended the season at the end of September. In 2022, during six training voyages, the ship left in its wake more than 13,000 nautical miles, calling at 23 ports. A total of 563 trainees underwent training on board.

2023 – As in previous years, the training season traditionally began with a March voyage to Antwerp, where pupils from the maritime school in Gdańsk were replaced by trainees from Antwerp Maritime Academy. Then, after the return voyage from Madeira to Antwerp, a training voyage took place with pupils from maritime schools in Gdańsk, Szczecin, Świnoujście and Kędzierzyn-Koźle. On 29 May 2023, Dar Młodzieży set out on an almost six-month voyage divided into several stages. During this period, maritime training on board the tall ship was undertaken by students of Gdynia Maritime University, as well as a group of 23 Ukrainian students from Odessa Maritime Academy. The first stop on the route was participation in L’Armada, one of the largest tall ships gatherings, held in the French port of Rouen.  Dar Młodzieży then visited Bremerhaven before taking part in The Tall Ships Races 2023 on the Den Helder–Hartlepool–Fredrikstad–Sirevåg–Lerwick–Arendal route, as well as in the additional The Tall Ships Races Magellan–Elcano, held to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano (the regatta had been postponed from 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic). The tall ships raced over two legs: Falmouth–La Coruña and Lisbon–Cadiz. On the way to the Equator, Dar Młodzieży also visited the Cape Verde Islands, calling at Mindelo. On 28 September, the frigate crossed the Equator, thus commemorating the centenary of the Equator being crossed by the first ship under the white-and-red Polish flag – Lwów, the training ship of the Maritime School in Tczew. At that time, students of the Faculty of Navigation of Gdynia Maritime University undergoing practical training, took part in the traditional crossing-the-line ceremony. In October, the ship’s crew were able to cast their votes in the parliamentary elections at Electoral Commission No. 1000, established on board Dar Młodzieży. The ship returned to Gdynia on 11 November. During seven training voyages, Dar Młodzieży covered more than 21,000 nautical miles and called at port 23 times. Sea training was completed by 553 trainees.

2024 – During the 2024 season, Dar Młodzieży covered more than 12,000 nautical miles. On board training was provided for 601 trainees from maritime schools in Gdańsk, Szczecin, Świnoujście and Kędzierzyn-Koźle, as well as Gdynia Maritime University students and Antwerp Maritime Academy. During six voyages at sea, the ship called at port 20 times, visiting Lerwick, Hamburg, Vlissingen, Delfzijl, and others. On the Klaipėda–Helsinki–Kotka–Tallinn–Turku–Mariehamn–Szczecin route, the frigate took part in the Tall Ships Races annual event. In August, Dar Młodzieży docked in Gdańsk for the first time, at the GMU Maritime Institute by the Wisłoujście Fortress. The season ended on 17 September.

2025 – The 2025 season began with a voyage to Antwerp with trainees from the maritime school in Gdańsk on board.  This was followed by a voyage on the Antwerp–Ponta Delgada–Antwerp route with students from Antwerp Maritime Academy. The next two voyages involved practical training for pupils from maritime schools in Świnoujście, Gdańsk and Szczecin, as well as inland navigation schools in Wrocław and Kędzierzyn-Koźle, with visits to Oslo, Hamburg and Stockholm. The remaining two voyages were training voyages for students of the Faculties of Navigation and Marine Engineering of Gdynia Maritime University, during which Dar Młodzieży took part in The Tall Ships Races 2025 (on the Le Havre–Dunkirk–Aberdeen–Kristiansand–Esbjerg route), as well as in the Sail Amsterdam, Sail Bremerhaven and Aalborg Regatta gatherings. Dar Młodzieży ended the season in mid-September. During the six training voyages that took place in 2025, the ship covered more than 12,500 nautical miles, calling at 19 ports. Sea training was completed by 619 trainees.