Gdynia Maritime University GMU

This year's edition of The Tall Ships Races is underway in the North Sea. And it was Gdynia Maritime University's Dar Młodzieży that was the first ship to complete the second stage of the regatta from Hartlepool to Fredrikstad.

The ships were affected by difficult weather conditions already in the first stage of the regatta, on the route of the Den Helder - Hartlepool. Dar Młodzieży was ranked fifth among the class A tall ships. In the second 527 nautical mile-long race, the University's sailing ship, commanded by Captain Rafał Szymański, was the first to cross the finish line. The next sailing ships were expected to complete the route several hours later. The official results of the races have however not yet been released. 

For the time being, we can be sure of "Line Honours" which is extremely valuable given our huge advantage over all the other ships of all classes participating in the regatta.  - reports Commander Rafał Szymański. This time, we won with fewer trainees onboard than usual. There are currently 56 students, including 33 students, 2nd year GMU Faculty of Marine Engineering students, and 23 students from the Faculty of Navigation at Odessa Maritime Academy.

The Captain of Dar Młodzieży stressed that the result required a great deal of dedication and hard work at the sails:

There were good wind conditions on the route, and for the last 12 hours the wind speed exceeded 20 knots, and at times more than 30 knots. The ship reached very good speeds, and for a few hours, we sailed at 14 knots and recorded a top speed of 15.8 knots  - added Captain Szymański.

From Saturday until Wednesday (15-18 July) Dar Młodzieży will moor in Fredrikstad. The ships will then sail from the Norwegian port to Lerwick in the Shetland archipelago, where they will set off on the third and final stage of the race. The final destination of the Tall Ships Races 2023 is Arendal.