Pogoria is a training barquentine launched in 1980. It is mostly used to train high school youth, and show them what sailing is like. Students are responsible for regular watches and ship-running duties.
On December 15th, two high schools, Żmichowska (from Warsaw) and Zan (Pruszków), started their 9-day trip. We got on the bus before noon, and our great voyage had begun.
16th December
In the morning, we got to Genoa. First, we moved the food from the coach onto the ship, then we took our luggage and moved into our quarters. We had breakfast, and then the training started. We were divided into four watches; each one received an assigned officer who taught us everything we needed to know before the ship’s departure.
17th December
The day started with our first flag-raising. After breakfast, we had our last part of the training: climbing up the mast onto the first platform. When we were done, we could finally depart from the port of Genoa. We sailed the whole day, but anchored before the night next to Imperia, a town in Italy.
18th December
We weighed anchor and were able to sail away further up west. In the evening, we got to Antibes, a town in France. We anchored, and the bosun got us to the land with a pontoon.
19th December
We weighed anchor again and sailed back east to Nice. After we docked at the port (it was the first time during this cruise), we had free time to go sightseeing and buy souvenirs.
20th December
In the morning, we had some more time left to go visit the city, and then we left the port and sailed further east. We had to start on our way back to Genoa, since our trip was slowly coming to an end. By the time it was already dark outside, we had gotten to Monaco. We anchored, and that was it for the day.
21th December
In the morning, we got a chance to visit Monte Carlo. We went sightseeing, saw the casino, and other attractions. We had to get back to the ship by noon because our time was very limited, and the plan was to get back to Genoa the same day. We managed to do that; we sailed until 11PM. In the meantime, the sky turned pink and purple during the most beautiful sunset. Around 11PM, we docked at the port of Genoa. It was a challenge, since it was already dark outside, but we did a really good job, and managed to do it without any incident.
22th December
It was our last day; we packed, cleaned the ship, and moved out of the quarters. After everything was ready for the next group, we could go to visit the centre of Genoa for sightseeing, etc. When we got back, the next group greeted us with lunch/dinner. Around 7PM we got on the bus and left.
It was an amazing experience. Life on a ship is different from life on land, but it is definitely fascinating. The limited space and constant rocking are strange at first, but you get used to it over time. Overall, I recommend going on such a cruise to anyone. Having watches together and working to achieve the same goal is a great bonding experience. It also gives you responsibility that you have to take care of and makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger.
The Warsaw High School Times 
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