The Baltic Single & Double Handed Polonez Cup Race (shortly Polonez Cup) is a Baltic Sea yachting
regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
, known as the most difficult single-handed Baltic Sea offshore contest.
Zagle. Yachting Magazine, Poland, 2010
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The regatta started in 1972 and was usually a yearly event matching solo sailors. However the event was not staged in 1982 and after 1983 went on hiatus. The regatta restarted in 2010.
The regatta is based at Swinoujscie on Usedom
Usedom (german: Usedom , pl, Uznam ) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea.
It is north of the Szczecin ...
Island off northern-western Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
and is organized with help from the Polish Maritime Foundation
The Polish Maritime Foundation ((pl.) Polska Fundacja Morska) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation located in Swinoujscie, Poland.
Aims
The aim of the foundation is the popularization of historical and training values of s ...
, in the cities of Szczecin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
and Swinoujscie.
History
The initiators of single-handedly racing the Baltic Sea were captains Jerzy Siudy and Kazimierz Jaworski, who in 1973 arranged a "private" race along a Swinoujscie - Christianso - Swinoujscie course. They sailed on Taurus yachts. The results remain unknown.
In 1974 the Maritime University of Szczecin
The Maritime University of Szczecin ( pl, Politechnika Morska w Szczecinie; ''Akademia Morska'' until 2022) is a public university in Szczecin, Poland. The profile of the university is maritime industry, maritime education.
The University struct ...
established a Yacht Club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting.
Description
Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mari ...
. The first Commander was Andrzej Jaśkiewicz. The regatta began at the organization's inception. The patron of the regatta was Eugeniusz Daszkowski, Rector of the Maritime University. To commemorate the founding, Krzysztof Baranowski circled the world on the Polonez, which became the name of the Single-Handed Cup. The Coordinator of the first edition of the race was Piotr Stelmarczyk then a Yacht Club employee. Subsequent editions were coordinated by Anthony Brancewicz, who took over as commodore of the club.
The Polonez Cup ran from 1973 until 1983 with a one-year break in 1982. Jaworski and Siudy planned to start the Polonez Regatta was initially held on May 25, the anniversary of Baranowski's entry to Plymouth. In later years the date changed to June and then to August. The Polonez Cup was founded by the Director of Maritime Yacht Shipyard "Leonia Teliga" - Edmund Bak.
In 1977 the race was held for the first time with international participants, whcn Czechoslovakian sailor Richard Konkolski from Yacht Club Bohumin, started.
The route remains unchanged: Swinoujscie - the passing portside group of islands Christiansø - Swinoujscie non-stop.
In 2013, third place went to Kuba Strzyczkowski, a journalist for Polskie Radio Program III
Polskie Radio Program III (Polish Radio Three), known also as Radiowa Trójka or shortly Trójka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is a music station playing a wide variety of music from rock, altern ...
.
Winners
References
External links
*
Polonez Cup
(on th
Yacht Club of Poland Swinoujscie
website)
{{Offshore sailing races
Recurring sporting events established in 1973
Sailing competitions in Poland
Single-handed sailing competitions
Yachting races
Sailing regattas