Dar Młodzieży Continues Transatlantic Voyage with Stop in Boston

The vessel berthed in Boston at 12:05 on Saturday, 11 July. The vessel's captain, Master Mariner Krzysztof Kocyba, described the tall ship's arrival in port for Radio Gdańsk:

As we came alongside the Patriot State in Boston, our frigate paid tribute with a ceremonial salute using her ensign and ship's horn, and the Polish national anthem was played. Hearing Mazurek Dąbrowskiego performed so beautifully was deeply moving. We stood on the bridge wing, returning the salute. Hundreds of people lined the quay to welcome us, many of them calling out in Polish. Dozens of small motorboats surrounded the ship, paying their respects.

The following day, the Dar Młodzieży took part in the Meet Boston Parade of Sail, sailing third in line behind the American tall ship Eagle and Chile's Esmeralda.

During the Boston stopover, the Dar Młodzieży also welcomed visitors on board. The ship attracted not only members of the local Polish community but also sailing enthusiasts from around the world, including students from leading US universities such as Harvard, Yale and Boston University, who were in the city on summer placements.

Mateusz Koszewicz, one of the students who visited the ship, reflected on the experience:

Visiting the Dar Młodzieży was a real privilege and an experience that will stay with us for many years. We came to see a beautiful tall ship, but we left feeling that we had encountered something far more significant – Poland, its people and its rich maritime heritage.

A delegation from the Dar Młodzieży, led by Captain Krzysztof Kocyba, also paid official visits at the invitation of the President and CEO of Meet Boston Martha J. Sheridan and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.

The Boston stop also gave the crew the chance to compete in the Crew and Cadet Soccer Tournament, organised as part of Sail Boston 2026. More than a dozen teams representing tall ships from around the world, together with US military crews, took part in the competition.

Representing the Dar Młodzieży was a team of second-year Navigation students from Gdynia Maritime University. The tournament took place on 14 July in Boston's LoPresti Park.

Rafał Górski, the students' sea training supervisor, praised the team's performance:

Our players were outstanding, finishing runners-up in the tournament. They were beaten by Peru's team from the tall ship Union only in a penalty shoot-out after the final ended 0-0. On their way to the final, they defeated Chile 4-3, then beat Italy's Amerigo Vespucci 3-0 in the quarter-finals, taking emphatic revenge for a 4-3 defeat in the group stage. In the semi-finals, they overcame the US Coast Guard team from the Eagle 1-0.

Górski highlighted the achievement as all the more remarkable given that the Dar Młodzieży team had been assembled only a few days before the tournament. The students had joined the ship in New York and, despite having little time to prepare together, went on to compete successfully against teams that had already played together during the earlier stages of the voyage in Norfolk.

The voyage will now continue to ports in the United Kingdom and Germany, where the crew and the second-year Navigation students from Gdynia Maritime University will complete the next stage of their sea training. Dar Młodzieży is due to arrive in Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 8 August, remaining there until 11 August, before calling at Bremerhaven in Germany from 14 to 16 August. The ship will then set course for Poland, with her arrival in Gdynia scheduled for 24 August 2026.