Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju Żeglarstwa "Stanica"

History

Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju Żeglarstwa „Stanica“ was founded in 2002. As the first local NGO it adapted the Międzyrzeckie Jeziorka area for training, recreation and leisure. Its seat is in Międzyrzec Podlaski at Zahajkowska 44C. The statutory main aim is to foster traditional sailing and seamanship education by spreading maritime knowledge and culture. The focus is on water sports and engaging children and young people; a central element is the successful sailing school. Theory and practice are taught not only at the Międzyrzeckie Jeziorka but also on trips in Masuria and on the Baltic Sea. The association is a member of the Polish Yachting Association (PZŻ) and the Polish Motorboat and Water Skiing Association (PZMWiNW) and an ISSA-authorised sailing school based in London – the only one of its kind in the Lubelskie region. It runs courses and exams for sailing and motorboat licences and certificates. From the beginning it has regularly organised sailing festivals for residents of Międzyrzec and the surrounding area, emphasising water safety, first aid and water rescue demonstrations. For several years blood donation drives and bone marrow donor registration with the Regional Blood Centre in Lublin have been part of these events. The association also hosts concerts and open-air events. In summer it organises camps and green schools for local schoolchildren on its own base and runs overnight accommodation. The offer includes sea cruises on European seas. Safety is a priority: they were the first to purchase a semi-automatic AED defibrillator with electrodes for children and adults, a RIB rescue boat with a 50 hp engine and radios for rescue operations. Besides sailing and motorboat regattas and Polish championship eliminations, the association organised international events: the European Motorboat Championship in class JT-250 and the World Motorboat Championship in class GT-30.