National Maritime Museum looking for participants in Operation Sail 1972

The National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Gdańsk is preparing to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the victory of the "Daru Pomerania" crew in the Operations Sail regatta. Museumists are looking for cruisers to interview them and publish them online.

As reported in the Communication NMM representatives, the participation of "Daru Pomerania" in Operation Sail regattas in 1972 for many was quite a surprise, as it was the first sailing ship originating in communist bloc countries. White Fregat under the command of Captain Kazimierz Jurkiewicz in a four-day race – from British Cowes on the Channel to Danish Skagen – overtook the West German shoulder of "Gorch Fock" by less than five minutes.

Among the participants of the cruise, in addition to the permanent crew, were students of the Higher Maritime Schools in Gdynia and Szczecin, as well as journalists and photographers. News of the victory quickly reached Poland. After returning to the port of the entire crew, a very solemn and impressive welcome was given: the captain was presented, among others, a crystal cup funded by the Prime Minister. In the following months, crew members were honored with state awards and the entire crew received the award "Voyage The Year".

The curator of "Daru Pomerania" Arleta Galazka

Anniversary of the event From half a century ago, it became an excuse to arrange a meeting with the cruisers. The task, as NMM representatives emphasize, may not belong to easy ones, because 20-year-olds participated in the regatta, which means that today they are people of age.

We're planning to meet them and record conversations. We're hoping they'll share their memories of the cruise. We want to find out what emotions they were accompanied by, what atmosphere they had on board, and whether they are still thinking about this journey with sentiment after years.

The curator of "Daru Pomerania" Arleta Galazka

Interviews with participants will be conducted in early May and June. The results of the work can be viewed on the website and on social media of the National Maritime Museum.

Persons who participated in Operation Sail regattas in 1972 may report by email to: a.galazka@nmm.pl or by calling 690 232 409.

On 9 September, the 50th anniversary of the return of "Daru Pomerania" from the regatta to Gdynia, there will be a intimate meeting with the participants of the cruise aboard the ship.

"Dar Pomerania" is a three-mast sailing ship built in 1909, from the 1930s until the 1980s, served as a training unit of the Polish Maritime School in Gdynia. Currently, the ship-museum, mooring at the Gdynia Pomeranian Coast, is one of the most important monuments of the Polish maritime heritage of the last century.

Source: PAP