Dar Młodzieży

Built at the Gdańsk Shipyard, this sail training ship was meant to be the prototype for a series of vessels for Soviet maritime schools — instead it became the successor to the legendary Dar Pomorza, "built through the efforts of Polish youth for Polish youth". The white frigate Dar Młodzieży ("Gift of Youth") of Gdynia Maritime University raised her flag on 4 July 1982 at the Pomeranian Quay, still her permanent berth. She is a working training ship, not a museum: between voyages you admire her from the quay, and you can go aboard only on selected occasions.

History: a fundraising drive, martial law and a dispute over bunks

The appeal to raise money for Dar Pomorza's successor was launched by young people from Gdańsk in June 1978. The ship was designed by engineer Zygmunt Choreń, advised by Dar Pomorza captains Tadeusz Olechnowicz and Kazimierz Jurkiewicz. Olechnowicz pushed through small cabins with fixed bunks instead of hammocks — a dispute remembered as "hammocks or bunks". The hull was launched on 12 November 1981, a month before martial law was imposed in Poland; a group of enthusiasts managed to complete the ship and prevent her sale abroad. Her godmother was Helena Jurkiewicz.

The ship in numbers

• Length including bowsprit 108.8 m, beam 14 m, draught 6.6 m.
• Displacement 2,946 t, three masts 49.5 m tall, 26 sails totalling 3,015 m².
• A permanent crew of about 40 and berths for about 150 trainees.
• In 1982–2025, according to the university: 273 voyages, almost 700,000 nautical miles, 860 port calls and more than 25,000 students and cadets trained.

Voyages that became legend

On her maiden voyage, in the 1982 race from Falmouth to Lisbon, the crew changed course to rescue a badly burned sailor from the German yacht Peter von Danzig. Despite losing over 4 hours, Dar Młodzieży won, beating Gorch Fock by 14 minutes 18 seconds, and Captain Olechnowicz and his crew received the Polish Olympic Committee's Fair Play Award. In 1987–1988 the frigate sailed around the world via the three great capes, rounding Cape Horn on 6 March 1988 at 7:15 ship's time. In 1997 she won the Osaka Sail '97 race in Class A. In 2026 she made a major voyage to the United States for the 250th anniversary of American independence, described by the university's rector as probably the last of its kind in her career.

Interesting facts

In 1989 the ship had a cameo in the Polish TV series "Modrzejewska", playing the American sailing ship George Washington. During the 1983 voyage to Osaka a student fell from the mast into the sea while the ship was making over 10 knots; the rescue took 9 minutes and ended successfully.

Tripto tip

Dar Młodzieży regularly sails on training voyages, so check the Maritime University's news before you come — the university's website also shows the ship's current position. Boarding is sometimes possible during open days and tall-ship festivals. The Pomeranian Quay is in central Gdynia next to the Southern Pier, where the museum ship Dar Pomorza is moored and the Gdynia Aquarium stands, so they combine easily into one walk.