WHERE THE RIVER MEETS THE SEA
The Akademicki Klub Morski (AKM) Gdańsk, or Academic Maritime Club Gdańsk, was established in 1931, although it was not until 1947 that the club enjoyed its own small marina. However, soon after, the Communist regime imposed severe restrictions on yachting on the Bay of Gdańsk, practically closing it for a time and obliging many local sailors to move to the inland Masurian Lake District. Over the years, the yacht club has been forced to relocate on several occasions, but since 1979 it has been situated at Górki Zachodnie, where Wisła Śmiała river meets the Baltic Sea in Gdańsk Bay. AKM has nurtured several top sailors, perhaps internationally most notably Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz, who in 1976–78 became the first woman to sail solo around the world.
The City of Gdańsk, responsible for overseeing the AKM marina, recently embarked on an expansion project. Teaming up with SF Marina Poland, amidst stiff competition, they initiated a project to expand the infrastructure with state-of-the-art floating concrete pontoons. These new pontoons have a total length of 144 metres and width of 2.4 metres. Equipped with galvanized steel Y-finger booms and walkable concrete fingers, they offer 150 well-protected berths. Securely anchored with Seaflex’s elastic mooring solution and pre-cast concrete anchors, they accommodate fluctuations in water levels. While the Baltic Sea experiences minimal tidal activity and the Bay of Gdańsk enjoys generally favourable weather conditions, storm-generated surges can lead to fluctuations of up to 1.85 metres, potentially causing flooding. The extension was officially opened on 18 May 2024.
