Sunshine, calm waters and great emotions. These were the conditions for the Polish Academic Championships in Sailing in the Omega class, which took place from 18-21 May on Lake Niegocin. Rafał Pogorzelski from the University of Gdańsk coped best with the challenging weather, leading his crew to victory in both the helmsmen’s and university class rankings.

79 yachts from 33 universities competed on Lake Niegocin from Tuesday to Thursday, and although the weather was sunny during those days, the crews did not have an easy task, as for most of the time... they were waiting for the wind to be able to hoist their sails. On the first day, weather conditions prevented even a single race from taking place. It was only the following day that the wind allowed the sailors to hoist their sails and hold five qualifying races. The first of these in Fleet A was won by the team from the Warsaw University of Technology (which came second in the next three). In Fleet B, the University of Gdańsk crew, led by helmsman Jakub Gołębiowski, triumphed twice.

The decisive final was also in doubt for a long time - there was practically no wind that day, so the teams waited for favourable conditions to start. Some rested and gathered their strength for the decisive race, while others cooled off in the water. Finally, after four hours, they set off, making the best possible use of the faint gusts of wind.

The team from the University of Gdańsk coped best with these demanding conditions. The crew - led by coxswain Rafał Pogorzelski, accompanied by Bartłomiej Szlija and Joanna Cymerman - managed to keep their composure and cool heads right to the very end; as a result, they were the first to reach the finish line and secured victory in both the coxswain and university classifications.

Second place went to the coxswain from Gdańsk University of Technology, Patryk Kosmalski, rowing with Tomasz Lewandowski and Karolina Żurek, whilst third place was taken by Jakub Wiedeheft from the Gdynia Maritime Academy, who competed alongside Tymon Gajdziński and Jan Suchocki. Filip Szmit, who led Group A after the qualifiers, finished the regatta in 29th place.

The event was organised by ASA Warsaw. The competition partners were: the COSA ASA Wilkasy centre, Omega Class, Up Wind 24, and the Masurian Water Volunteer Rescue Service. The Polish Sailing Association served as the honorary patron of the competition.

The Polish Academic Sailing Championships project is co-financed by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The competition is sponsored by PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.

2026 Polish Academic Championships in Sailing - helmsmen’s classification:

1. Rafał Pogorzelski (University of Gdańsk): Bartłomiej Szlija, Joanna Cymerman

2. Patryk Kosmalski (GdańskTech): Tomasz Lewandowski, Karolina Żurek

3. Jakub Wiedeheft (AMW Gdynia): Tymon Gajdziński, Jan Suchocki

4. Jakub Gołębiowski (GdańskTech): Pola Dzik, Michał Miler, Jakub Jurczak

5. Agnieszka Pawłowska (GdańskTech): Krzysztof Królik, Szymon Cierzan

2026 Polish Academic Championships in Sailing - university ranking:

1. University of Gdańsk

2. Gdańsk University of Technology

3. Szczecin Maritime University

4. Naval Academy in Gdynia

5. AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków