We begin 2026 with a bang thanks to the GeoArctic Expedition 2025
The 56th meeting of the Jury of the Honorary Awards “Rejs Roku – Srebrny Sekstant” (eng. “Voyage of the Year – Silver Sextant”) took place at the Polish Navy Museum in Gdynia at the end of December. The Jury faced a difficult decision and, although it resolved not to award the main prize, it granted several equivalent awards, including one in the category “maritime education and the promotion of offshore sailing” to a project involving our scientists.
The scientific voyage was organised by the Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of Wrocław to mark its 80th anniversary, with the route leading to Spitsbergen aboard the sailing ship STS Generał Zaruski.
The Voyage of the Year – Silver Sextant distinction has been awarded since 1970, on the first Friday of March, to commemorate the anniversary of the rounding of Cape Horn on 1 March 1937 by the training sailing ship of the State Maritime School in Gdynia, Dar Pomorza.
In the past season, a number of ongoing and original sailing projects were noted in both the sporting and expedition categories, implemented in pioneering formats or in waters previously less explored by Polish sailors. However, as emphasised during the discussion, many of these initiatives are at different stages of completion. Far fewer projects were identified as having reached a definitive conclusion in 2025, and only these were considered by the Jury in the current edition of the Voyage of the Year awards. At the same time, the continuation of sailing projects “in progress” suggests a promising body of achievements by Polish sailors in the coming 2026 season.
A wide-ranging and in-depth analysis of the 2025 undertakings in Polish offshore sailing ultimately led to the difficult decision not to award the Silver Sextant.
Instead, equivalent Voyage of the Year 2025 awards were presented in the following categories: Wyprawy i rejsy morskie; Regaty i rekordy morskie; Wychowanie, edukacja morska i promocja żeglarstwa morskiego.
In the category “ychowanie, edukacja morska i promocja żeglarstwa morskiego” (eng. “maritime education and the promotion of offshore sailing”), the project “Generał Zaruski 2025” was honoured, described as “an innovative educational, promotional and research programme implemented during the sailing ship’s voyage to Spitsbergen. A team of educators, promoters of maritime education and scientists carried out a staged, original and multi-directional educational programme within the Gdańsk School Under Sail, as well as the pioneering expeditionary and research programme ‘GeoArctic Expedition 2025’. Cooperation between sailors, educators and scientists was underpinned by programmes developed primarily at the Gdańsk Sports Centre and the University of Wrocław.”
We also congratulate Captains Marcin Dobrowolski and Adam Walczukiewicz, recipients of the Honorary Award “Voyage of the Year 2025” for leading the expedition from Gdańsk to Spitsbergen, as well as Captain Jerzy Jaszczuk, who received an award for his lifetime sailing achievements.
More about the project:
„Nauka na Fali – GeoArctic Expedition 2025”
„Nauka na Fali – GeoArctic Expedition 2025”
We also recommend the film Nauka. To lubię z podróży na Svalbard
Edit: Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
Date of publication: 7.01.2025
Added by: M.J.
