My wife Sheila & I have just got back from a very enjoyable few days ribbing in Poland with Andre & Weisia…. And what an under-used boating area it is!
Andre took delivery of his new Parker 7.5 Meter Rib with a 320 HP engine in the back. Boy does it go! 46 knots tops.
We went seaward from the town of Dziwnow on the Baltic coast, and also inland via the many lakes and waterways.
Now that Poland is in the EC, the regulations are much easier than they used to be. Having said that, bureaucracy still exists. Before you leave for the sea, you need to check out with the Harbour Master who has to be assured your boat is seaworthy and kitted out with safety equipment, (one polish speedboat with lifejackets for all on board was turned back due to the lack of an orange flare while we were there!). Then you check-out with the Border Guard, who takes details of Nationalities on board and numbers. But as Andre said, now they do it with a smile – not a gun!
If you can imagine the queues that would build up in the Solent if they did that here, you can see how few boats there are. There was never a queue!
Things are cheap at the moment too. Lunch in a posh restaurant on the river at Szczecin for SIX people, including starters, main course, desert, beers and coffee came to £55.97 all in., (without tip!). It won’t last! Weather was hot too!
Thanks to Andre & Weisia for some great ribbing, company and experiences…..
And watch out! Andre is bringing that 7.5 meter with the mighty 320 engine back to the UK later this month! Hold on to your hats!
Photos……
1 Andre arriving with his new Rib.
2 Launching was fraught!
3 The shipyards of Szczecin
4 Lunch Polish style
5 Plod
