By Abdul Basit

The second edition of the largest exhibition of vessels on the water in Poland – POLBOAT YACHTING FESTIVAL – was a huge success this year. The event was held on July 15-18, 2021 at Marina Yacht Park – one of the most modern Polish yacht marinas in Poland. The four-day mega event witnessed as many as seven premieres.

The event went very well as the weather was extremely pleasant and ideal for the boat show. Additionally, the organizers lined up a rich program of attractions, so the exhibitors were satisfied with the quality of visitors, and especially with a large number of meetings with potential clients. It was a great celebration of the Polish yachting industry, which waited a year to meet each other again in Gydnia – the Sailing Capital of Poland.

This year’s boat show hosted nearly 70 yachts and boats from leading Polish shipyards as well as foreign ones available on the Polish market at Marina Yacht Park. The real pearl was undoubtedly the 80-foot Sunreef 80 Double Happiness from Sunreef Yachts. A ceremonial opening took place on board with the participation of important personalities from the industry and state and local administration. There were, among others: Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Mieczysław Struk, President of Gdynia Wojciech Szczurek, Vice President of Gdynia Marek Łucyk, President of the Polish Sailing Association Tomasz Chamera, President of Dalmor SA Aleksandra Mietlicka and of course President of POLBOAT Sebastian Nietupski.

Galeon Yachts, a world leader in innovative design solutions, presented five different models this year, from the Galeon 325 GTO (the premiere opens a new line of yachts in the offer of the Galeon shipyard) to the Galeon 510.

Additionally, several units were exhibited by: Parker Poland, Northman shipyard, La Mare Houseboats, Pro Air and Viko Yachts. There were also the iconic Delphia Yachts brand, as well as products from well-known Polish shipyards – TES Yachts, Sportis, Mazuria, Koga and Cree Yacht.

The exhibition also featured prestigious foreign brands, many of which are produced in Poland. The Dobre Jachty company, whose stand resembled the Cannes Yachting Festival, deserves a special mention. The elegant space created with several luxury brands attracted attention and encouraged to visit Jeanneau or Cranchi yachts. The following units also attracted a lot of attention at the exhibition: Saxdor, Hanse, Bavaria, Windy, Flipper Uttern and the always popular SeaDoo scooters.

This year, Gdynia had an opportunity to watch as many as seven premieres. For the first time in Poland, the following were shown to a wider audience: Galeon 325 GTO, Maxus 34, Saxdor 320, Nimbus T8, Flipper 900 DC, Cranchi T36 Crossover and the Wave 50 catamaran. There were also spectacular actions accompanying the premieres (for example ”sabrage”).

On the first day of the fair, the award of the President of the City of Gdynia – GDYNIA POLBOAT AWARDS was presented. The statuette was prepared by the famous Tri-City artist-sculptor Adam Stachowicz, the jury members were famous designers Jacek Centkowski and Robert Błażejak, and journalist Stanisław Iwiński. The prizes were awarded to: in the sailing yacht category – Maxus 34 from the Northman shipyard, in the motor yacht category – Galeon 325 GTO from the Galeon Yachts shipyard. Additionally, the jury awarded a special prize to the Modern 1 houseboat from the La Mare shipyard in Bydgoszcz.

Visitors to POLBOAT YACHTING FESTIVAL, who did not necessarily come to buy a new unit, could see the products of companies offering sailing and motorboat accessories, navigation equipment as well as financing and insurance proposals for boats in the tent halls located on the quay. Additionally, visitors could take advantage of many attractions available for free. On the first day, there was a concert by the folk-rock band Mitra. In the following days, numerous meetings were held with interesting guests – incl. Tomasz Chamera, Patryk Zbroja, Michał Korneszczuk, Przemek Tarnacki and Sail Oceans – a family under the sails (the famous YouTubers Ania and Bartek Dawidowski). Friday at the boat show ended with a DynaCook and Lyofood culinary show, and the evening was filled with the sounds of music during the Inter Cars & Exide Cocktail Party.

During the weekend, numerous visitors not only had the great pleasure of admiring the flyboarding shows prepared by the championship team from fly-board.pl, but also had the opportunity to feel the real joy of yachting thanks to free cruises on sailing yachts or motor units. The Become a Boater campaign, prepared with partners – Jacht2020 and ŻeglarstwoToLekarstwo, given the opportunity to have closer contact with this pleasant form of recreation, gain initial education and receive comprehensive information on how to start your adventure on the water.

At the event, apart from yachts, you could also see the latest models of motorhomes, incl. Burstner, Adria and Morelo, as well as visit a special Mercedes-Benz zone prepared by BMG Goworowski.

It is worth noting that the Gdynia Sailing Days regatta was held at the same time as the POLBOAT YACHTING FESTIVAL in the nearby city marina. This year the organizers cooperated with each other for the first time, but it is already known that this cooperation will be continued and extended during the next edition of the events, confirming that Gdynia is the Sailing Capital of Poland. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com