WIELKOPOLSKA

Biography

Wielkopolska, meaning ‘Greater Poland’, was built in the 1960s according to the design of Leon Tumiłowicz (class TOM).

Sailors entering Jastarnia (Poland, Hel Peninsula) have been welcomed for years by the decaying white, slim hull of a classic yacht. He was standing on the quay, clearly visible from the water. Everyone wondered what this unit was. Thanks to Teofil Różański and Zbigniew Ornaf, authors of the article s/y Wielkopolska – a new chapter in yacht construction in Poland, we learn the history of this yacht. The construction of Wielkopolska began over half a century ago. Worth mentioning is the social aspect of the creation of the yacht initiated by the environment of sailors from Poznań. The necessary funds were collected through the sale of maritime calendars and postcards. Wielkopolska, like the yacht Polonia, was built in the Szczecin Yacht Shipyard according to the plans of the Polish designer Leon Tumiłowicz. Vessels are similar to each other. They differ only in the solution of the steering position, cockpit, companionway, and transom. The yacht was launched on July 22, 1962. The maiden voyage was attended by a crew of filmmakers from Television Poznań, Leszek Prorok, who described their experiences in the book Four Winds, as well as, mentioned earlier, authors of the article describing her history. They have emphasized the solidity of the structure, seakeeping and also the large autonomy of the yacht, which could sail in almost any weather conditions. “The yacht driven by the youngest captain in Poland, Zbyszek Jaszczak (26 years old) withstood the wind and waves during a 4-day storm with a force of 7 to 12 degrees on the Beufort scale” – they describe the cruise to Copenhagen in August 1962 “- After 48 hours of stopping in Ystad, the yacht sailed further and reached the quay in Copenhagen.” (Source: Teofil Różański, Zbigniew Ornaf, editor: Romuald Rowecki, 19 January 2006 http://www.pkmlok.pl/zagle/z_hist.html#sywielkopolska)

Over the following years, Wielkopolska sailed the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. In 1965, a dangerous event occurred for the crew and the yacht. South of Öland on the night of November 1 during a 9 ° B storm the crew decided to abandon the yacht, help was provided by the English ship “Sun Jerry”, which effectively took the crew. Wielkopolska on her own has stranded on the beach. According to the promoter of safe sailing – Jerzy Szychut, who based his opinion on the basis of the decisions of the Maritime Chamber, it can be assumed that a yacht was abandoned then in a storm that did not exceed its navigational capacity. According to Szychut, “the very idea of ​​a long voyage at this time (planning) as well as incorrect steering of the yacht under existing conditions can be questioned.” After the accident, the yacht was in good condition, it was recovered from the Swedes and renovated in the Nauta Shipyard in Gdynia. (Sourec: http://www.sychut.com/nav/doc/wypadki.html)

Wielkopolska later sailed many miles, in 1980-1995 she made a number of cruises under the command of Capt. Zbigniew Ornaf to the Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian ports. The history of Wielkopolska ends in 2002, when the yacht spent the last season on the water. It was later slipped off in Jastarnia, where she has perished on a dry. Several attempts were made to restore Wielkopolska to its former glory, it was leased for several years, various initiatives appeared, unfortunately unsuccessful. The breakthrough was 2010, when Wielkopolska was bought by 3Oceans and after some adventures came to us, where its renovation began in 2015.