Polish and Ukrainian kids sailing on the Szczecin Reservoir

For young people from Ukraine it’s an adventure of a lifetime.  The cruise is organised by the Sailing Centre, which invited 25 young people to get on board of eight yachts. Among them are children from Poland and Ukraine. “Thanks to the cruise, adolescents from Ukraine in particular have an opportunity to stop thinking, at least for a while, about what is going on in their country. At last, smiles have appear on their faces,” says Captain Jerzy Szwoch.

As part of the cruise along the Szczecin Reservoir, the eight yachts took off from the Sailing Centre on Sunday. The camp is not only a wonderful adventure for the participants, but also a break and distraction from everyday life.

“There are 10 people from Ukraine, aged 12 to 18,”  said the Cruise Commander Captain Jerzy Szwoch. “Together with the Sailing Centre, we’ve decided to give the young people an opportunity to not only get to know our region but also forget about what is currently going on in their lives. It makes me happy that the group is functioning so well, with Polish children getting along fine with the Ukrainian ones. We talk about everything, without mentioning the war situation in their country. If they choose to talk about it themselves, we will listen of course. If they don’t we won’t bring up the subject. The goal is for them to have a good time and not get upset.”

The cruise started off with some adverse weather conditions. The wind turned back the yachts, which ended up mooring in Lubczyna. On Monday they resumed their cruise to Trzebież. On Wednesday they continued to Nowe Warpno, and then towards Świnoujście. Tomorrow they will cruise towards Wolin.

“In Świnoujście we want to do some sightseeing and show the kids various attractions: Gerhard’s Fort, museums, etc. When we see everything we have planned we will sail towards the Reservoir, in the direction of Wolin,” said Szwoch. “On 19 July we are going to return to the Sailing Centre in Szczecin. For the evening on that day we will prepare a summary of the camp and hand over gifts.”

A day after young people will clean their yachts.

“I am planning to officially conclude the camp on 20 July around 2 p.m.,” recapitulates the captain.

The partner of the cruise is Rotary Club Szczecin. The young people from Ukraine was recruited by the Szczecin School under the Sails.