Szczecin lies inland, but from here you can sail a yacht to the Baltic. Below the city the Oder widens into Lake Dąbie, followed by the Roztoka Odrzańska, the Szczecin Lagoon, the Świna strait and the sea. Along this route stand a dozen or so harbours, from large yacht ports to small landing stages with jetties and a kayak hire. Some of them belong to the West Pomeranian Sailing Trail, according to the marinas' own websites. Below is an overview of places that you do not need your own boat to visit.

Szczecin: the ports on Lake Dąbie

The largest cluster of harbours lies on the eastern edge of the city, where the branches of the Oder flow into the lake. Marina Pogoń on Przestrzenna Street can, according to its own website, take up to three hundred vessels. For guests without a boat, more important are the port tavern, the shop and the fuel station, as well as the charter companies and sailing schools operating in the port. The marina's website says it is a venue for regattas, among them the International Autumn Regatta with the race for the Blue Riband of Lake Dąbie.

Next door, on the same street, is the Sailing Centre. According to the centre's website it was established in 2015, trains children, young people and adults, hires out kayaks and organises cruises. You can also stay overnight here, because the centre has rooms, cabins, a campervan site and a youth hostel. It is a good address for someone who wants to try sailing on a short course rather than straight away on their own yacht.

Port Jachtowy Marina Dąbie is run by the Sun & Sail foundation. According to the marina's website, construction was co-financed by the European Union, and the works were completed in April 2019. Besides berths for yachts there is a campsite and a hire of kayaks, pedal boats and SUP boards, which is also used by people without sails. The port gives access to Lake Dąbie, the Szczecin Lagoon and the Baltic.

A little further north, already in Goleniów municipality, lies Marina Lubczyna. The harbour adjoins a bathing area: according to the municipality's website there is a sandy beach with lifeguards in season, a playground and a hire of rowing boats, kayaks and pedal boats. The harbour also organises cruises and kayak trips, so it is one of the easier places for a family day by the water.

Port of Szczecin: a ship instead of a yacht

Anyone who does not fancy sailing can see the water side of the city from the deck of a ship. The Port of Szczecin is above all a working commercial port on the Oder and the Międzyodrze canals, so most of the quays are closed to the public. According to Wikipedia, however, the port also handles tourist traffic: a ship leaves from the Szczecin Shipping Sea Terminal (Dworzec Morski Żeglugi Szczecińskiej) for cruises around the port, the lower Oder and Lake Dąbie. The cruise timetable is given by the operator.

Szczecin Lagoon: Kopice and Wapnica

On the shore of the Lagoon many harbours are small, local places. In Kopice, in Stepnica municipality, stands a pirate-style harbour, known as the Tortuga Pirate Cape (Przylądek Piratów Tortuga). According to the municipality's website it has two basins for about forty vessels, and from the jetties you can see the sunset over the Lagoon and larger ships sailing along the E-30 International Waterway. At the harbour there is an equipment hire from which you can set out on a trip on a small sailing ship. The municipality notes that its description dates from 2017, so the offer should be checked on the hire's website.

At the northern end of the Lagoon, on Wolin Island, lies Marina Wapnica. According to Wikipedia and the marina's website, the new marina was built in 2013 in a former harbour basin and has 52 berths for yachts with a draught of up to 2.5 metres. Formally it is the Port of Wapnica, a small seaport established in 1965, managed by a municipal company from Międzyzdroje, with the Maritime Office in Szczecin as the port's administrator. The marina's website stresses its proximity to Wolin National Park.

The Dziwna and Kamień Pomorski

Further east the Lagoon joins the sea through the Dziwna strait. In the Port of Wolin, established in 1963 according to Wikipedia, barges, passenger vessels and yachts are moored at the North-West quay. The movement of ships through the town depends on a swing bridge, the opening of which is arranged with the town office in Wolin.

The largest harbour in this part of the region is Marina Kamień Pomorski on the Kamień Lagoon. It consists of two parts: a seasonal one right by the Old Town and a technical one, about three hundred metres further on, with workshops, hangars and winter storage areas. The marina's website gives more than 290 berths for yachts and the port's awards, including the title of best port of the West Pomeranian Sailing Trail in 2014. From the harbour to the town hall it is about two hundred metres, so after mooring you walk straight into the historic centre.

Świnoujście: the end of the road to the sea

The route from the Oder to the Baltic is closed by the Port of Świnoujście, which according to Wikipedia is at once a cargo-handling, passenger and yacht port. The yacht harbour in the North Basin lies in the centre of the town on Uznam Island, has about three hundred berths and operates all year round, and it is administered by the Wyspiarz Sport and Recreation Centre. All large ships heading for Szczecin must pass through Świnoujście, because a single fairway connects the two ports.

Before you set out on the water, check on the websites of the individual marinas whether the hire or cruise you are interested in is running. Mooring rules, regulations and dates are given by the port managers.