Shipping season 2024 – started!

The 2024 sailing season in Poland has officially opened, although some waterways still remain inaccessible to boaters due to exceeding safe water levels or ongoing repair work. Regional water boards have reported which waterways have already been opened, and which still need intervention before they are safe. The long May weekend is approaching, and it’s the perfect time for water activity lovers to plan a sailing trip. So it’s worth checking which of the available routes are already open and ready for the season.

Sailing in Poland

Hey, sail, sailor… these words of a Kashubian folk song are known to almost everyone, but not everyone knows that every region in Poland offers attractions for sailing enthusiasts, both experienced and amateur. The popularity of sailing in Poland is growing every year. Navigable routes, thanks to a dense network of rivers and lakes, allow exploration of scenic landscapes and regional attractions. From the Great Mazurian Lakes to the Szczecin Lagoon to the southern waterways, each region offers unique opportunities for boating enthusiasts. The 2023 sailing season ended successfully, with great interest from tourists and water adventure enthusiasts. We will keep checking and inform you about this year’s events.

Waterways open and closed for the start of the 2024 season

Open waterways:

• Narew in the waterway km from 83+500 to 248+500
• Augustowsky canal in the waterway km from 0+000 to 81+750
• Bydgoski Canal in the km from 14+800 to 38+900
• Lower Noteć in the km from 38+900 to 176+200
• Lower Noteć in the km from 176+200 to 226+100
• Ślesiński Canal in km from 26+460 to 32+000
• Lake Gopło in the km from 32+000 to 59+500
• Upper Noteć in km from 59+500 to 121+600
• Górnonotecki Canal in km from 121+600 to 146+600
• Nogat in the km from 0+000 to 62+000
• Szkarpawa river in km from 0+00 to 25+400
• Brda in the km from 0+000 to 12+400
• Vistula River at km 679+600 to 942+300
• Elbląg Canal System
• Druzhno Lake in the km from 0+000 to 7+400
• Brda at km 12+400 to 14+800
• Vistula Królewiecka in from 0+000 to 0+850
• Jagiellonian Canal in km 0+000 to 4+700
• Elbląg in the km from 0+000 to 3+700
• Tuga in the km from 0+000 to 11+900
• Gliwice Canal in km from 0+000 to 39+400
• Kędzierzynski Canal in the km from 0+000 to 5+900
• Odra in the km from 51+000 to 181+300
• Vistula River km from 0+000 to 37+500
• Łączański Canal in from 0+000 to 17+200
• Vistula River at km 57+800 to 295+200
• Ślesiński Canal in the km from 0+000 to 26+460
• The Warta River in the km from 0+000 to 406+600
• Lake Dabie in the km from 0+000 to 9+500
• Saints
• Dabska Struga
• Dabsky Current
• Odin Canal
• Gartz Canal – Marwice
• Oder River at km 542+400 to 741+600
• Western Oder from 0+000 to 36+550
• Parnica at km 4+000 to 5+600
• Parnicki trench in km from 0+000 to 1+300
• Klucz – Ustowo trench from km 0+000 to 2+700
• Cegielinka canal
• Zeranski Canal in the km from 0+000 to 17+200
• Narew in the km from 21+600 to 29+020
• Zegrzynski Lake Vistula from 431+900 to 456+700, from 494+100 to 551+000, and from 620+000 to 680+000
• Odra from 181+300 to 542+400 to along with the waterways of the Wrocław Water Junction

Closed waterways:

• Great Masurian Lakes System
• Przewięź lock
• Lock No. 5 Prądy located at km 20+000 on the Bydgoszcz Canal
• Czersko Polskie lock
• Dwor lock, Smolice, Przewóz
• Borek Szlachecki sluice
• Bug in km from 42+200 to 224+200
• Bug in km from 0+000 to 42+200
• Vistula from 295+200 to 431+200, from 456+700 to 494+100, and from 551+000 to 620+000.

Remember that the above information may change dynamically depending on hydrological conditions.

Preparations for the sailing season

The process of preparing for the sailing season in Poland is detailed and includes a number of activities to ensure safety and meet operational standards on the waterways. It begins by restoring the damming of water stages, which are often technical monuments. This is crucial for maintaining adequate water levels for safe navigation. Once the hydrological situation has stabilized, one moves on to the next check activities.

This is followed by a thorough inspection of the navigable routes, including detailed longitudinal and transverse soundings to measure depth and identify potential obstacles. Trawling is the clearing of the bottom of obstacles that may pose a danger to vessels. Once any dangerous objects have been removed, the final step is to check the navigational markings, which inform boaters about the routes, their boundaries and potential hazards. These carefully planned activities are essential to open the waterways to traffic and ensure safe navigation in the new season.

Augustow Canal – official season opening

The Augustow Canal, which is one of the most valuable monuments of Polish technical culture, is a unique tourist attraction, especially due to its picturesque location among the beautiful landscapes of the Augustow Forest. The Augustow Canal, is also one of the most interesting water tourist routes in Poland, attracting thousands of tourists every year.

This year, the opening ceremony of the sailing season took place last Saturday with the participation of the President of the Polish Waters, Joanna Kopczynska, who stressed the importance of the Augustow Canal, both from the point of view of cultural heritage and tourism. The opening of the season was marked by a parade of watercraft that attracted both local residents and visiting tourists with a rich program of water and educational activities. The channel, which annually witnesses more than 9,000. locks, shows its importance as a key component of the region’s water infrastructure.

Virtual River Guide

The ceremonial opening of the navigation season on the Augustow Canal was also an opportunity to present the Virtual River Informer (WIR) Polish Waters. The system is expected to revolutionize the way water infrastructure is used. WIR is a portal and mobile application that will give waterway users, both tourists and shipowners, easy access to up-to-date information about waterways and infrastructure. The app allows users to plan cruise routes, pay online for sluicing tickets and passage through slipways, and report incidents spotted along the route. In addition, WIR supports shipowners with online billing and automation of the data collection process, which significantly improves information exchange.

Photo. Main: gov.pl (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 EN)