Dar Młodzieży - ambassador of polish maritime education sets sail once more
On March 14, 2025, the iconic tall ship Dar Młodzieży embarked on its first voyage of the year from Gdynia, Poland, kicking off another season of maritime adventure. Aboard were 50 students from the Gdańsk Maritime School, who actively participated in preparing the vessel for the journey, accompanied by two instructors and a 33-strong professional crew. The ceremonial send-off in Gdynia was graced by the presence of Prof. Adam Weintrit, DSc, Eng., master mariner, rector of Gdynia Maritime University, and Dariusz Jellonnek, MSc, master mariner, director of the shipowning and maritime training department. The ship’s initial destination: Antwerp, Belgium.
In brief
The sail training ship Dar Młodzieży left Gdynia on 14 March 2025 on the first voyage of the season, with 50 pupils of Zespół Szkół Morskich in Gdańsk, two supervisors and a 33-strong crew. In Antwerp on 20 March, 104 students of the Belgian Maritime Academy will board, and the route will include the Port of Ponta Delgada in the Azores and a return to Antwerp on 18 April. The sail training ship Dar Młodzieży will take part on 3 May in the National Day celebrations in Oslo and from 9 to 11 May in the Hafengeburtstag in Hamburg, returning to Gdynia on 18 May.
Crew rotation and international collaboration
Upon arrival in Antwerp on March 20, a crew changeover will take place. The Gdańsk students will disembark, making way for 104 trainees from Belgium’s Hogere Zeevaartschool Antwerpen (Antwerp Maritime Academy), who will undertake a month-long training stint aboard. The voyage itinerary includes a stop at Ponta Delgada in the Azores, with Dar Młodzieży scheduled to return to Antwerp by April 18. There, another rotation will see approximately 120 students from maritime schools in Gdańsk, Kędzierzyn-Koźle, and Wrocław step aboard. This voyage continues a longstanding partnership between Gdynia Maritime University and the Antwerp Maritime Academy, dating back to 2008—a collaboration rooted in history, when Polish and Belgian cadets trained together at University College Southampton’s navigation faculty in 1940.
High standards and global recognition
This partnership reflects not just tradition but also excellence. In 2023, the Antwerp Maritime Academy joined the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU), chaired by rector Weintrit. An audit conducted by Piotr Kopacz, PhD, Eng., master mariner from Gdynia Maritime University’s navigation faculty, affirmed the academy’s top-tier training standards, further cementing Dar Młodzieży’s reputation as a flagship of Polish maritime education.
Key ports of call
Following Antwerp, Dar Młodzieży will sail to Oslo, arriving in time for Poland’s national day celebrations on May 3, hosted by the Polish Embassy. Next, from May 9–11, the white frigate will grace Hamburg’s Hafengeburtstag—the world’s largest maritime festival, marking the port’s anniversary. The voyage will conclude with a return to its homeport of Gdynia on May 18.
A legacy of maritime excellence
Dar Młodzieży remains a steadfast ambassador of Polish maritime training, forging international ties and nurturing generations of seafarers. Each voyage showcases Poland’s seafaring heritage while offering hands-on experience to students and promoting maritime culture worldwide. Follow Dar Młodzieży’s journey and dive into its enduring legacy—a story that continues to sail the seas.
Source: Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier
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