To get to Poland Ruda made a night-time trip through the Russian-controlled waters off Kaliningrad. The weather was a little rougher than predicted so the crew was very happy finally to arrive safe and sound in Hel (with one “l”), twenty two hours after leaving Lithuania. Ruda had hoped to travel the Class IV “big ship” waterways to Warsaw but was disappointed to find that in reality the Vistula in summer has a navigable depth of less than 0.5m! Instead she continued her Polish visit by mooring in the best place in Gdańsk with a view of the famous waterfront and C15th dock crane. The crew enjoyed perusing the stalls set up for St Dominic’s Fair, and felt that the city had an exceedingly good vibe. From Gdańsk the Polish coast is one continuous golden beach for mile after mile after mile.
It’s extraordinary…. as are the towns along the way which have a fleet of tourist pirate ships as big as their fishing fleet. Although the crew struggled to get any rest moored next to fun fairs, discos and fishermen, they couldn’t fault these Polish resorts for holiday atmosphere and exuberance.