STS “General Zaruski” – the Polish yacht

STS "General Zaruski" is one of the oldest operating Polish sail ships, sailing year-round in the Baltic Sea, mainly on youth training cruises during the season, as well as preparing expeditions to the Arctic. Since this yacht is a floating monument of shipbuilding, its crew has to be content with rather difficult living conditions, and some of the ship's equipment is already quite archaic. Therefore, it is a favorite of Polish sailors, who cherish old maritime traditions. Annual winter cruises (or, more precisely, expeditions), such as multi-day New Year's Eve cruises, have become a regular part of these traditions. In 1938, at the initiative of General Mariusz Zaruski, the League of Seas and Colonies ordered this yacht as one of ten similar yachts, that were to form the basis of the future maritime reconnaissance flotilla. Since the yacht was completed after the occupation of Poland, it was bought by Swedish owners and used until 1946, when it was rebought by Polish sailing enthusiasts and on January 17 was towed to Gdynia, where it was repaired and renamed "General Zaruski". In 1950, the name was changed to "Mloda Gvardia", but in 1957 the name "General Zaruski" was returned, with which, having experienced many adventures, running aground, collisions with other ships, trips in the Arctic and the rather turbulent Baltic Sea, it has been repaired several times, but having preserved almost the authentic construction and equipment, it sails perfectly to this day.

Small and, as a sailship model, not very complicated. It can be assembled perfectly even by a modeler with little experience, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague. Only there should be no room for haste here, and patience, diligence and attentiveness will have to be used to the last drop. The model is well designed and quite detailed. There are color reserves, but not many. There is no text instruction, but it isn’t really needed, when the graphical instruction is simply excellent.