Sailing Survey Action 2025.

As of May 2025, sailors have already conducted more than 100 lake transparency measurements on the Great Masurian Lakes Trail (sWJM). All this is done as part of the Sailing Frog Aquatic Survey, coordinated by the Sailing Is Eco Foundation in Węgorzewo.

What does the action consist of?

Frog runs from May through September. Sailors who apply to participate receive a measurement kit from the Foundation that includes:

• Secchi disc to measure water clarity,
• laminated measurement instructions,
• prepared by the Foundation’ s Mini-Book on Sustainable Sailing.

During cruises on the Mazurian Lake District, participants take measurements and report their results to the Foundation. The collected data is regularly published in social media and on the website, and after the end of the season it goes to the scientists who took the action under their patronage.

Frog is part of the citizen science trend, in which citizens support scientists in collecting measurement data, and which is growing in popularity.

Where did the idea come from?

The Great Masurian Lakes Trail is visited by some 15,000 watercraft each season, which has a significant impact on the environment. Despite this, there is a lack of easily accessible and up-to-date data on lake water quality. Although measurements are continuously carried out in accordance with the Water Framework Directive, they cover only a few bodies of water on the sWJM annually, and the results – although available online – are difficult to find and interpret.

The Frog was inspired by consultations with scientists from the Department of Water Protection of the Institute of Environmental Protection of the National Research Institute. They pointed out the value of simple water transparency measurements and the need to perform them with greater frequency. This is how the idea of an activity in which everyone can contribute to a better understanding of the state of the Masurian lakes was born.

Why did the Foundation take care of it?

The mission of the Sailing Is Eco Foundation is to build a balance between water tourism and environmental protection. This includes both education and popularization of knowledge, as well as activities that affect the change of public awareness. Therefore, the need raised by the scientists was read as an opportunity to create an initiative that simultaneously supports science and environmental protection and raises awareness among sailors about their impact on nature.

Objectives of action

Frog’s main goal is to collect data on lake transparency during the months of May through September. In addition, the action pursues equally important social goals. First and foremost, participation in it encourages reflection on the state of the Masurian lakes and the impact of tourism on the environment. Therefore, participating sailing schools participate in a training course on sustainable sailing organized by the Foundation, and all volunteers involved in the campaign receive educational materials.

The growing media coverage of the initiative helps to illuminate the important issue of increasing human impact on the environment in Mazury. This is facilitated by the Foundation’s social media posts and the measurement map provided on the website, as well as material appearing in the local press and regional media. Volunteers by their actions support the protection of the lakes, thus becoming co-owners of the problem facing the Mazurians. It is also possible that their participation in this short volunteer effort will become a vestibule to greater social involvement in the future.

Who takes part?

Initially, the Campaign was aimed exclusively at sailing schools organizing cruises in the Mazury region. Now student clubs, companies and individual sailors are also participating. In the 2025 season, 11 schools, 5 student clubs, scouts, emergency services, companies carrying out employee volunteering, professional helmsmen and independent sailors have already joined the campaign. The potential for involvement is much greater, but is currently limited by the Foundation’s organizational capacity.

How does it work from behind the scenes?

Frog’s strength is simplicity. A decent Secchi puck is hard to buy, but relatively easy to make yourself. Metal discs are purchased at cost from a local yacht hardware company and then painted on the balcony. Surveyor’s tape measures, available along with the rest of the puck’s components at a regular hardware store, are used as a string with meter graduations. Operating instructions are printed at a neighborhood print shop. The whole thing is then customized, assembled and packaged at home. The cost of producing the puck is about 50 zloty. Shipping by parcel machine (with the lowest carbon footprint) back and forth is another 32 zloty. Interestingly, the return package ordered by the Foundation can be sent from any Inpost machine without printing a label or writing anything on the package, which makes it significantly easier for sailors to return their kits.

The results of the measurements are plotted in an automated way on an interactive map and graphs thanks to the free Tableau Public tool. Then anyone interested can see not only what clarity was found at which location, but also what it looked like in subsequent months, who did the survey and when, at what depth and at what distance from the shore. The map is permanently displayed on the Foundation’s website.

In 2024, volunteers collected more than 200 measurements from 23 lakes. In 2025, the goal is to obtain 400 measurements.

Funding

The first edition was funded thanks to PLN 5200 from the local NOWEFIO program. In 2025, Frog received more support from the nationwide NOWEFIO program implemented by the National Institute of Freedom. This allowed the organization to organize training sessions at sailing schools and expand outreach to new groups.

Sailing Action Aquatic Survey: the biggest challenges

Despite its simplicity, the course of the Action is not entirely trouble-free. The Sailing Is Eco Foundation operates on an amateur basis, after the working hours of its members. Although preparations for the Action are not very time-consuming, carving out a few or several hours a week is always a challenge and comes at the expense of the Foundation’s other activities. Lack of staff resources also limits the expansion of the Action.

The commitment of boaters is variable and uneven, so that an increase in the number of participants in the campaign does not translate directly into an increase in the number of measurements acquired. This commitment can be stimulated, but this requires time, which is the least available resource.

In addition, a prominent constraint is the weather. June and July 2025 are characterized by strong winds that favor sailors, but also interfere with measurements. Accurate location of measurements is also hampered by interference, which according to media reports is the result of Russian GNSS signal interference systems from Kaliningrad.

Summary

Sailing Aquatic Research Action is a multidimensional activity. The results obtained from measuring water clarity contribute to the development of scientific research. The very process leading to data collection, the publicity generated by the action, and the involvement of sailing schools and volunteers contributes valently to the Foundation’s mission.

The masts on large Mazurian yachts are put up with a winch crank – with the right gears, putting up a heavy mast becomes feasible for a small crew. For the Foundation – Frog is the crank, environmental awareness is the mast, and Masuria is the boat we sail together.

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MAIN PHOTO: Sailing Is Eco Foundation