Category: Curiosities

Dar Szczecina is a Polish single-masted sailing yacht of the Antares type. It is a flagship of the City of Szczecin.

Built at the Szczecin-based L. Teliga Yacht Shipyard in 1968–69. Designed by Ryszard Langer and Kazimierz Michalski. The hull is made of marine-grade mahogany plywood and the deck is made of teak.

She was launched and her flag hoisted on 14^th June 1969. Danuta Kopacewicz, a local sailor, became her godmother and the colours ceremony was hosted by Jerzy Szopa, the then minister of shipping. The first operator was the MKS Pogoń Sailing Team (1969-96). In 1996, the City of Szczecin became her new owner. Her regular place of stay is in the Sailing Centre in Szczecin.

Every year, the yacht cruises across the Baltic Sea, North Sea and the European part of the Atlantic. In the past two years, while on the route from St Petersburg to Cadiz, the ship has visited a number of ports. Her crew consists mainly of young people from Szczecin who are members of the Szczecin’s The Tall Ships Races Team, Marine and Sailing Education Programme, School Afloat Foundation and others. The Youth Sailing Section takes care of Dar Szczecina. Not only do young people sail and gain experience on board of the yacht, but they also help during winter renovation to keep the yacht in good shape.

Dar Szczecina participated in The Tall Ships’ Races 14 times, in 1976, 1984, 2004-2007, 2009-2013, and 2017-2019. She won the races in her class C of contemporary yachts without a spinnaker in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2019. In 2013 and 2019, she won in the overall classification of the races.

In 2013, the yacht was awarded an honorary title of the Ambassador of Szczecin.

 

Lead particulars:

• Length (LOA) 18.10 m
• Beam (B)            4.60 m
• Draught (D)            3.00 m
• Crew: min. 3, max. 12
• Rig: sloop (1 mast)
• Sails: 2
• Sail area: 134 sq. m
• Motor: Beta Marine 105T
• Power: 105 HP

Navigation

Dar Szczecina has her superstructure in the midship section. It contains a spacious navigation cabin with bookshelves, table with maps and navigation aids, radio and navigation equipment, a cabinet with 12V and 230V fuses, and a comfortable revolving chair.

Radio equipment

• VHF Icom IC-M506 with AIS
• VHF Icom IC-M330
• 2 x manual VHF Icom IC-M35
• AIS Digital Yacht AIT1000 (class B) with an antenna on top of the mast
• IridiumGO, a satellite modem, with an external antenna to support satellite communication, telephone, SMS, weather forecast and e-mail
• Navtex Furuno NX-300 with an LCD to receive navigation messages

Navigation/weather equipment

• B&G Zeus2 12” chartplotter with WiFi and a set of electronic maps for the route
• Raymarine Autopilot with an LCD and hydraulic drive
• Simrad I508 with an IS20 LCD
• Simrad DST200
• Simrad NSS12 with an inbuilt GPS
• B&G RI10 Radar
• Simrad IS40 multifunction instrument display
• Mechanical inclinometer
• Mechanical barometer
• Marine clock
• Interior thermometer
• Exterior thermometer
• Navigation tools (compass, triangle, pencils, rubber, etc.)

Auxiliary navigation aids

• Nautical charts
• Printer/scanner
• Two binoculars
• Four 1kg fire extinguishers
• 12/24V converter
• Control panels for generator, main engine, navigation lights and equipment
• 230V and 12V sockets
• Navigation lamp

Engine room and technical equipment

• Beta Marine 105T 105KM engine (based on Kubota engine), speed of 6 knots at flat water and economical operation, and 8 knots max. speed.
• 230V, 160 l/h evaporator (to be fitted)
• Webasto 5.5kW heating
• potable water pressure pump
• 40l hot water boiler (engine or 230V operated)
• Automatic bilge pump
• two manual cockpit bilge pumps
• 12V engine room lights

Electrical equipment

• 12V, 24V (Webasto) and 230V installation
• 220Ah main engine start battery
• 80Ah generator start battery (to be fitted)
• 4 off grid batteries of total 860Ah (GEL)
• 215Ah anchor winch battery (GEL)
• 80Ah generator start battery,
• Fischer Panda 5000i PMS, 4kW battery (to be fitted)
• 3 x 40A chargers for batteries (230V grid)
• Silent Wind 400W generator
• 900W solar panels (to be fitted)
• residual current circuit breakers

Forepeak

Cosy but useful. Suitable for 4 people, but we never put more than 3 crew members there. Compartments under bottom beds enable to store extra clothing or equipment. Beds fitted with bedside shelves for personal belongings. Under deck food storage for juice, jars, cans, ketchup and other foodstuffs. On walls and under the ceiling attached are four life jackets, one fire extinguisher and a cabin lamp.

  

Living quarters “at the mast”

Five beds, including the most comfortable ones. A large freezer is fitted under one of the beds, which might be an advantage while sailing in the tropics. On walls and under the ceiling attached are five life jackets and a mobile phone charging point at the mast. Considerably large bedside shelves.

Mess cabin

A place to have a meal, meet other crew members, enjoy evening games and… a place to be envied by other crews (What a large mess cabin!). Once you are in there, you may have an impression that it occupies a half of the yacht. In fact, it extends from side to side and can seat the entire crew, or up to twenty people if we squeeze them in a bit.

Large duplex table (to be combined) to comfortably seat everyone during a fancy meal, if needed. Comfortable seats around the table with storage compartments underneath. Along sides of the mess cabin, we have six shelves for food, tools, medicine and supplies of Nutella. Water tanks are hidden under cabinets.

Galley

Although squeezed in between a mess cabin and the middle companionway, it is large enough to cook every meal. The galley contains a spacious fridge, gas stove with an oven, several cabinets and drawers with kitchen equipment, food supplies, and a sink. Safety measures include an accessible gas valve handle, fire extinguisher and a fire blanket.

Berths for permanent crew members

Situated in the navigation cabin. At the starboard, situated is the captain’s cabin with a small table, wardrobe and storage compartments. At the port side, situated is a hundberth of the captain’s deputy, who can easily access radio and navigation equipment and provide ongoing supervision of watches. Squeezed in between the two beds is yet another place to sleep which is mostly used as a storage compartment.

Bathroom

The bathroom contains a fitted washbasin, toilet bowl with a pump, shower, hot and cold water, and much space. Everything designed in wood colours.

Sailing is a very traditional, conservative, and etiquette-oriented activity. By far, it is not just a way to move from one port to another. Regattas provide ample opportunities to meet people representing different cultures. Although cultural differences might be significant, there is no need to worry, as the etiquette is common for all people participating. Many of customs and traditions originate back to the era of tall ships.

For seafarers, the flag is a symbol of particular respect. Thus, it is good to know how to behave once we are close to it.
The flag is hoisted up the flagstaff , mizzenmast or the peak halyard . The place for the flag depends whether the ship sails on a power engine, sails or it is moored in the port. When a tall ship uses an engine or stays in the port, the flag is raised on the flagstaff. When under the sails, the flag should be at the mizzenmast, and in the case of fore-and-aft sails on the halyard.

Every liaison officer should remember that the flag is raised at 8:00 o’clock sharp. On navy vessels and tall ships, it usually coincides with a crew gathering on the deck to check the crew status and announce daily orders. On smaller yachts, the flag is usually hoisted by an appointed crew member in the morning. Sailors took over the flag etiquette from the navy. Although simplified, it is still impressive, especially for people with little knowledge about sailing. The procedure for the lowering of the flag is much less official. A crew member or the sailor on the watch take the flag down on the sunset. Although this is not accompanied by any crew gathering, all people on board should turn toward the flag and stand straight (people at quay should also do the same), whereas civilians wearing hats should take them off. In some countries, raising and lowering of the flag is marked with a shot of a cannon. When the flag is raised or lowered, you can also hear the bell being struck, as the bell has been used on board of tall ships to mark every full hour. Thus, when the flag is hoisted, the bell is struck four times. During sailing camps, a frequent mistake is to have four strikes of a bell on hoisting the colours or the national flag at a different hour than 8:00 o’clock. The bell is used to mark the passage of time just as a carillon.

How should we behave when we are near a tall ship when the flag is hoisted or lowered? We should take the hat off and turn towards the flag.

The entering of a ship to a port is also an important moment. Once we reach a point at which the gangway touches the deck, we should take our hat off and turn toward the flag and bow slightly. It does not take much effort, and it is much appreciated by the captain and the crew. This is how we can show our good manners.

In the realm of tall ships and yachts, the honours paid to the flag originate from the marine etiquette adopted from the navy. It is primarily based on symbols, customs and norms shared by all seafarers. The etiquette started to develop probably when human set out to explore seas and oceans. Throughout centuries, these customs evolved, influenced especially by the navy of the then maritime powers. Then, the customs translated into specific rules that in a simple and easy manner enable to communicate information and convey emotions. It all depends on how much we are familiar and follow these rules.

Time to answer the question in the heading: “Salutation to or with the flag?”. In general, a “salute” is obligatory in uniformed services, the regulations of the navy define how honours should be paid when civilian ships are involved. Servicemen salute while wearing their headgear, whereas civilians pay honours by bowing their heads. Therefore, we may assume that a civilian vessel may salute in a strictly military sense. Honours are paid by the “salutation to the flag”. Although sailor’s manuals refer to it as the salutation with a flag, it is not fully in line with the Navy Regulations, especially in the official Polish sailing tradition.

The salute with a flag is equally important. When is it necessary? Yachts should salute to navy vessels, sail training ships, monuments and venues commemorating soldiers who fought for their country, as well as to grandstands or vessels where representatives of states, “crowned heads”, and ambassadors are present. Customarily, they also pay honours to sail training ships when sailing past them. Sailors used to express their farewell and welcome their clubs when they commence or come back from their voyages. There are places in Europe and in the world where yachts, regardless their origin, are welcomed with their national anthem, ship’s anthem, and sometimes also the salute with a flag (e.g. Kiln Canal or Wedel Port, a large yacht port near Hamburg). Since 2007, during sailing events, Szczecin welcomes ships (tall ships, navy vessels, and yachts) with their national anthems and a flag salute at the Pilot Station.

According to sailing traditions, ships should salute to navy vessels that they come across at sea, and they should do it regardless the country of origin of the navy vessel. This can be done by making the flag half-masted when the ship is at the level of the navy vessel stem . The navy vessel responds by lowering their flag to half-mast and immediately hoisting it up to its original position. The ceremony is called the salute with a flag.

It is a pity that not everyone respects the tradition, for the tradition defines our identity. It is a powerful factor connecting people in our community. These rules are particularly important in international relations.

When we see something for the first time it makes an impression on us. They say: you can make the first impression only once. People make opinions about us at the first contact based on our looks, and that is the fact. The way they see us during The Tall Ships Races, is the way they perceive organisers of the event.

Neat appearance, suitable uniform, cleanliness, pleasant scent (that does not make flowers wilt when we pass), the way we speak (we should use as few colloquial phrases as possible) and a positive attitude toward others will facilitate your first contact with your “subordinates” and for certain the first impression will be better.

[1] rigging – a system of ropes.

Ropes that supports masts are referred to as a standing rigging (shrouds, stays). Some ropes are temporarily tightened or loosened depending on the wind direction and these are called semi-standing rigging (now rarely used). Another type of rigging include ropes used to control the position and shape of sails, and these are referred to as the running rigging (e.g. halyards, downhauls, braces, counterbraces, sheets);

[2] Bowsprit – a spar extending forward from the vessel’s prow. It is slightly elevated depending on the inclination of the foredeck. It makes the vessel longer and enables fitting more stays and sails called forestays;

[3] Figurehead – a wooden decoration on the bow of a large sailing ship; it is a richly decorated wooden sculpture, often covered with polychromy and placed on a forecastle, at the peak of the foreship section. It has been usually made in the shape of a man, an animal, or an allegoric creature and referred to the name of the vessel;

[4] Optimist – a small, single-handed dinghy designated for children and adolescents up to 15 y.o. It is a racing yacht (not very comfortable one). The cockpit occupies a half of its size. The sailing boat is usually made of glass fibre, or sometimes timber.

[5] Omega – a yacht without a cabin. Omega was designed in the occupied Warsaw during the war. It was made to provide sail training to the Home Army servicemen who transported goods and soldiers across the Vistula River. After the war, the government expressed their interest in its construction, and Omega was produced and sold exceptionally well. Sailing boats of this type have been used for training. It is up to 6.20 m in length, with the sail area of approx. 15m². It is actually the most popular type of yacht in Poland (designed by Juliusz Sieradzki). It is very convenient for leisure sailing due to its limited draft and a spacious cockpit.

[6] Flagpole – a pole at the stern of a sailing ship, capped with decoration and used to raise a flag

[7] Gaff – a top spar to hoist a square sail. It consists of a throat, a part which slides along the mast, and a peak located on the opposite side.

[8] Stem – a part of ship’s structure on the extension of the keel; in the front it turns to a stay and in the back
a stern-post.

Being a liaison officer, you may be requested to help with mooring. For this reason, it is worth to learn some basic knots.

A bowline consists a fixed loop at the end of a rope that does not tighten itself. The knot can be made at any size on a mooring rope to put it on the bitt.

A clove hitch is one of the best knots when we moor a yacht when there are no bitts. it can be released even under a heavy load which is an advantage in itself. You can also use it to tow a car when you do not have carabiners at the end of the tow rope. Moreover, when the ship stays moored on wavy water, the line does not chafe.

A cleat knot is used to tie a line to a cleat.

If you want to flake a long line, make a “bight”.

What can you do when there are several mooring lines on bitts?

If you put a line on a bitt, it should not prevent other lines from being taken off. Simply put the loop at the end of your line from the bottom of all other lines through a loop or loops made on other lines 🙂

Regattas provide an opportunity to see many wind-powered sailing ships. Thus, it is worth to remind you some basic terms and their definitions.

A hull is a watertight body of a ship consisting of a frame, plating, deck, and bulkheads. The most common materials used include steel, timber, and polyester-glass laminate. The hull is most commonly described using terms in the drawing below.

Sailing gear is the overall structure used to transfer wind power onto the hull. It consists of masts, rigging and sails.

Masting refers to all rigid parts of the gear used to set and control sails. In general, these are tall spars erected vertically and made of timber, metal or laminate. The masting of a sailing ship includes masts, topmasts, bowsprits, spars, gaff rigs and booms.

Rigging is the system of steel or fibre ropes and lines. These are divided into standing and running. Standing lines keep the structure rigid and position masts on the hull. Such lines are usually made of steel, chains or rods, whereas running lines are used to set and control sails. Usually, on large sailing ships, the rigging consists of a combination of steel and fibre lines.

Depending on the shape of sails and fitting, we can distinguish two basic types of rigging: square and fore-and-aft. The former usually consists of square shaped sails but there can be triangular sails as well, with the upper side of a sail fitted to a spar. The latter comprises triangular or square sails fitted along the symmetry plane of a ship with its front edge always heading towards wind. There are several types of fore-and-aft sails. The most common include Bermudian, gaff, staysail, lugsail, and spritsail.

Every liaison officer should be able to recognise types of ships approaching the shore. As regards the number of masts, as well as the type, number, and shape of sails we distinguish ten basic types:

Sloop – a single-masted sailboat with two sails, one in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of the mast.

Cutter – a single-masted vessel with the main sail on the mast and two or more foresails.

Yawl – a two-masted ship, with one lower mast aft of the rudder post. The aft mast is much lower than the front mast positioned abaft the rudder stock.

Ketch – a two-masted yacht with the mizzen mast smaller and set further back, slightly forward of the rudder stock.

Schooner – a yacht or sail ship with two or more masts. In the case of a two-masted schooner, the main mast is taller than the other. It can also have a square topsail.

As you probably noticed, yachts and sailing ships do not have square rigging. An exception is the schooner. The same sail types can be used on small and larger vessels.

Brigantine – a two-masted ship with a fully square-rigged foremast and gaff sails on the main mast.

Brig – a two-masted ship with a fully square-rigged fore and main masts. It may have an additional gaff sail on the main mast.

Barkentine – a sailing ship with three or more masts: a fully square-rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged other masts.

Barque – a sailing ship with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen mast rigged fore-and-aft.

Fully-rigged ship – a sailing ship with three or more square-rigged masts and an additional gaff sail on the mizzen mast. The most aft sail is sometimes referred to as the crossjack.

The organizer of regattas divides ships into classes based on the size and type of rigging. The division is necessary to establish an even playing field for all vessels participating in the regatta. Moreover, a ship has its individual time correction factor (TCF) that is taken into consideration while calculating her position in races.

At the quay, where you meet local crews, you may be asked to help with mooring. Then, the incoming crew passes the heating line, which has a mooring rope attached to its end. One should catch the heating line, move it onshore, pull the mooring line and place it on the bollard. Larger vessels have gangways lowered from the deck to provide for safe passage onshore.

a.i.1. cuma rufowa – stern line
a.i.2. cumo dziobowa – head line
a.i.3. szpring rufowy – spring aft
a.i.4. szpring dziobowy – spring fore
a.i.5. brest – brest line
a.i.6. odbijacz – fender

THE CAPTAIN is a person exercising command on tall ships and yachts. He/she decides which lines and in which order should be placed on bitts and how the operation needs to be performed. At specific stations, the command is exercised by officers. In emergency, you should follow their orders.
Mooring is usually performed by trained and properly equipped port personnel, so called linesmen.

Sailing regattas attract many different types of sailing ships. Some of them are referred to as tall ships, sailing ships, whereas others as yachts or sailboats. We commonly use these terms without thinking much what they actually mean. Let’s try and make things a bit clear.

We say sailing ship while referring to large vessels powered by sails and the force of wind. When we see tall masts, a mash of riggingi, a bowspritii, often a figureheadiii, it is SHE (British people used to refer to sailing ships as SHE). Today, such ships are used for various purposes. Thus, we have navy sailing ships (e.g. Quautemoc, ORP Iskra), which provide training to military cadets. Some other ships belong to maritime universities (e.g. Dar Młodzieży) and students have their sail training on board before they become seafarers on commercial vessels. Sailing ships are also used to provide training for young people and adults, all those who are hungry of the first-hand experience of work at sea (e.g. Pogoria, Fryderyk Chopin). Finally, there can also be passenger sailing ships (e.g. Royal Clipper).

We use the term yacht to refer to smaller ships, usually sailing ships that are 20 to 30 meters long. They often have more modern shape and rigging. These are used for leisure, regatta and training. If we come across a smaller vessel, such as Optimistiv or Omegav, we can call it with a colloquial term of a sailboat. Experienced sailors, who respect tradition, prefer to use the term YACHT. Thus, we can distinguish between sailing ships and yachts. The former used to carry goods and people and were operated for commercial purposes, whereas yachts have been used for leisure, sport and recreation. In fact, the registration decides whether a vessel is a sailing ship or a yacht. It also determines qualifications required from the captain and the crew.