Polski
On May 20 – 21, 2023. Sopot will become the arena for the struggle of the first round of Ekstraklasa, the highest level of the Polish Sailing League. This season promises to be exceptional in many ways, full of novelties and excitement that will attract the attention of sailing enthusiasts and sports fans alike.
The Polish Sailing League is very popular with both participants and fans
The organizers, like last year, have planned three levels of leagues: Extraclass, 1st League and 2nd League. The start of this season will see an impressive 48 teams, including full squads of 18 teams each in the Ekstraklasa. and 1st League. This is another record-breaking year in terms of the number of participants, a testament to the growing popularity of the league and the unique format of the competition, in which the organizer provides identical RS21-class monotype yachts for all crews.
One of the main factors attracting a large number of fans to the sailing league is the media setting. Reports of the regatta are available live on the YouTube platform and on TV sports channels. Extensive photo galleries and videos published on social media and sports media contribute to the League’s popularity. In addition, the Polish Sailing League is the only regatta in the country that can be followed in real time on the Internet thanks to a tracking system that allows visualization of the races live along with the current results of the regatta and the entire season.
Polish Sailing League – new locations, new squads, consistently high level
The 2023 season brings many innovations in organization and locations. The existing venues, such as Szczecin and Warsaw, are joined by Olsztyn and Sztynort, which will host the next rounds of the competition. The main season will begin in Sopot in mid-May, and then the event will move to Gdynia in July, to Olsztyn in August, and end in Sztynort in September and October. It is interesting to note that all four rounds of 2. The leagues will be held in Sztynort on the new fleet of RS21 yachts.Starting form
A new season of the Ekstraklasa means huge expectations and excitement. Every year the level of the competition rises, and this year’s results are difficult to predict, as many teams have strengthened their squads. Several teams are of exceptional interest.
Among the favorites is YKP Gdynia, three-time winner of the league in recent seasons. But we can’t forget about the formidable competitors, namely the crews of Yacht Club Gdansk and Legia Warsaw, who won medals in the previous two years. Among the teams that have invested in reinforcements and can claim to be the favorites are Pogon Szczecin, WAT Warsaw or AWFiS Gdansk. One of the most anticipated transfers of the season is the addition of Agnieszka Skrzypulec to the crew of the Polish Yacht Club in Szczecin.
Together with Patryk Zbroja, they will wage a fierce battle in the premier league. The acquisition of brothers Krzysztof and Piotr Malecki by the New Sztynort Gizycko Regatta Group is also a major reinforcement. The performance of newcomers such as the Rockstars Racing, YKP Lublin, HRM Racing and Polsporty Sailing teams also promises to be interesting. Although they are new to the league, they should not be underestimated, as they have the potential to fight for top trophies.
It is interesting to note the dramatic changes in the crews of KS AMW Iskra Gdynia and Sztorm Grupa. This season, both teams will start exclusively with women’s squads, led by Kasia Barabasz and Julia Szmit, respectively. This proves that women also play an important role in the sailing world and have the opportunity to demonstrate skills at the highest level.
Fans have reason to rejoice – Polish Sailing League is a high level
In this year’s season, the Polish Sailing League, not only at the level of the Ekstraklasa attracts attention, but also 1. And the 2nd League, where teams compete for promotion to higher categories, will please fans. There is no shortage of excitement in these games either, and some teams have considerable ambitions to be among the elite.
The SportVita team from Gliwice has clear aspirations to return to the Ekstraklasa. He strengthened his ranks by acquiring Filip Ciszkiewicz to the lineup. Their main goal is to fight for promotion, but they will not have it easy. Also joining the competition will be crews such as KW Garland Gliwice with Adam Glogowski at the helm, as well as titled Przemek Tarnacki of Ocean Challenge Yacht Club and Robert Janecki of UKS Navigo. The teams of Rafal Moszczynski’s Małe Elektrownie Wodne Mikro Class and SLAVA Racing, with new helmsman Piotr Manczak, also have their sights set on promotion. The fierce battle for a place in the Ekstraklasa makes it difficult to predict the top four teams that could advance to a higher league.
In the 2nd league this year, all rounds will be held in Sztynort, and 12 crews will appear on the starting line. The surprises are Szymon Jablkowski in the colors of the Onboard club and Michal Strusinski representing the Port Mechelinki club. Szymon Szymik of YKP Bielsko Biala and Pawel Ejsmont, who will perform in the colors of the new Yacht Klub Nowy Sztynort, have also announced their participation. They are experienced and strong players who will not be easy to beat in the fight for promotion to the 1st. leagues.
Competition in the lower sailing leagues will be extremely fierce, and unpredictability adds an extra flavor to the competition. Teams w 1. and 2nd division have the opportunity to showcase their skills and ambitions, aiming for promotion to the next league levels.
Not only the Polish Sailing League
In addition to the main season of the Polish Sailing League, two other events organized by the same team are worth mentioning. This is the second time we will see the “Women On Water” regatta, this year under the name Dr Irena Eris Sailing Women’s Championship, which, after last year’s success, seems to have become a permanent fixture in the calendar of regattas in Poland. The base will again be Sopot, and the competition, held at the end of June, is sure to gather many fans on shore.
The biggest novelty is the organization of a four-day regatta of the rank of the Sailing Champions League, which will be held a week earlier, also in Sopot. At the start we will see 27 teams from 20 countries from the strongest leagues from all over Europe. The battle to advance to the grand finals of the Champions League will be fierce, as only 11 crews will get a ticket to Travemunde.
Detailed information on the organizer’s website: PLŻ – Polish Sailing League.
