General Zaruski

Gdańsk takes action to restore the legendary sailing ship General Zaruski! The wooden gaff ketch was ordered in 1939 in B. Lund’s shipyard in Ekenäs (Sweden) and brought to Poland in 1946, just after the Second World War.

Several generations of young people received their maritime education on board of “Zaruski” through her 57 years of service. Sailing has built their characters and inner values, as intended by gen. Mariusz Zaruski, initiator of the ship’s construction.

After drawing her back from use in 2003, the ketch begun to corrode. Several restoration attempts between 2003 and 2008 ended up in failure. In November 2008 the City of Gdańsk bought the vessel and decided to restore her former glory. The refitting works carried out by the Remontowa S.A. ship repair yard in Gdansk are planned to be accomplished in early 2012.

The re-born Zuruski will once again be dedicated to non-commercial sail training for young people who need positive role models and noble objectives. With its traditional rigging, the handling of which demands cooperation from the crew, and with its austere furnishings, General Zaruski is perfectly suited to serve this purpose. The ship will facilitate the tightening of relations and cultural exchange between Baltic cities.



A clean hull | photo: Marek Zwierz