We were glad to see Sopot back on the racing calendar and signed up early. Unfortunately, entry numbers were once again a very particular problem this year. Despite many conversations and sharing our experiences from last time, we couldn’t motivate anyone else from Germany. Especially when you combine the sailing trip with tourist destinations like the Hel Peninsula, the shifting dune at Łeba, and of course the beautiful historic old town of Gdańsk, it’s without doubt a worthwhile trip.
But it was apparently also difficult for the Polish sailors to make it work, so many familiar names were missing from the start line. Perhaps as a class we should look for ways to improve both the scheduling and the logistics, and make participation easier.

Be that as it may, we took on the 750 km to Sopot and were rewarded with very good conditions. On Friday the wind was better than forecast and was expected to ease over the course of the weekend. So at the skippers’ meeting it was decided that up to 4 races could be held, to build in some buffer. So, under changing cloud cover, with wind starting at 3 Bft and later increasing to 5 Bft, we headed out onto the choppy Baltic. Alongside us TOPCATs, A-Cats, F-18s, Hobie-16s and an Open class were on the start line. And not to forget, the Polish Navy with an entire fleet formation. Even from the water that was an impressive sight, and certainly even more so from land.
The sailing club UKS Navigo had everything perfectly under control. Only the first race of each class was started in a fixed sequence. After that, racing continued immediately as soon as all boats of a class had finished. Absolutely professional and fast-paced — we were impressed. But then again, anyone who has already run A-Cat World Championships knows the on-water work inside out. For us it went almost perfectly: 3 wins from 3 races. In the 4th, Katrin, sailing under gennaker and in the lead just before the finish line, was washed off the boat by a wave. For a moment we hoped we could still cross the line regardless. But no chance — so, gennaker down and into MOB (man overboard) mode. An overeager rescue boat had to be waved off first before I could pick her back up, and we still finished in 2nd place.

Saturday also surprised us with brilliant sunshine and more wind than forecast — conditions very similar to the day before. Again, 4 races were completed in all classes. But it wouldn’t be us without some kind of mishap. A private gust hit us while we weren’t even on the trapeze, and we capsized. The carbon tiller extension — which we’d just been remarking had held up surprisingly long — snapped. So we headed back to shore as fast as possible, swapped the tiller, and were back in the start area with the last 3 TOPCATs in time for the next races.

On Sunday, all that was left for us to do was defend our position. The wind was noticeably lighter but still looked sailable. The first two classes were started from 11 am. But by the time the Hobies started, the wind had already shifted so much that boats could sail a direct line from the start to the windward mark. So the expected abandonment followed. Then the wind finally cut loose and toyed with us. It kept shifting cheerfully and eventually died completely. We watched the clock anxiously, constantly calculating how many races could still be started before 2 pm. It became increasingly clear that there wouldn’t be enough time left to give up our lead. At 1 pm the race committee put everyone out of their misery, and we were able to pack up early.

Afterwards, we had planned to visit Piotr Liszek and his campsite on Lake Narie. So we headed a bit further east, into former East Prussia — more precisely, into the Warmia-Masuria region. Even the drive there was very impressive, through the rolling landscape, old villages and endless tree-lined avenues.
At the campsite we were welcomed by Piotr himself — although “campsite” doesn’t really do it justice. It was more like a resort, 7 hectares in size, laid out like an English landscape park, with a restaurant, many tiny houses, and a spacious, generous spot for motorhomes that made even us feel small, with an idyllic view of the private beach. Besides everything you’d expect from a campsite, there’s also a rental service for pedal boats, SUPs and much more, as well as a sauna and a hot tub. We were impressed, and the hospitality of Kate and Piotr does great credit to Poland. It got a bit too cool for swimming, but it was still a wonderful time and we would gladly have stayed a little longer.

In summary, we can only reaffirm once again: the trip is worth it! There’s so much to discover in the region. Prices aren’t always really cheaper than in Germany, but it’s safe, clean, very friendly, and the people are happy to welcome international guests — and yes, German guests too.

Katrin and Steffen