Shots from our evening cruise in Gdansk, Poland

After our quick meal at Montownia we headed over to the meeting spot for our "Sunset Cruise on a Historic Polish Boat". Getting there could have been easier if they shared more than just an address as the meeting point. We were given "Dokowa 1, 80-863 Gdańsk, Poland". It was only a 5 minute walk from Montownia. But street numbers are not really a thing I could discern in the old shipyard (if they exist). Turned out the meeting point was essentially the Yard Cafe, which has a pretty large and visible sign. Sharing that detail could have been helpful.

We learned on the 'cruise' that the Galar boats were used by traders in the 18th century. Kind of a heavy-duty raft that could carry whatever you needed to carry up the Vistula river to sell in the bigger markets of Poland. These vessels are a modern version designed for exactly the type of light recreation we had scheduled for the evening.

You can fit something like 12-15 people on the boat. We got our seats up front, grabbed a couple of their courtesy fleece blankets, and settled in for the experience. While I genuinely enjoyed the ride, I have to say my expectations were not managed by the tite of the tour: "Sunset Cruise". Not really. The first 5 minutes maybe of the cruise occur around sunset, which you glimpse from a pretty good distance off on the horizon behind the cranes and various other elements of the industrial shipyard landscape. Not particulary romantic or awe-inspiring. A catamaran ride in the Santorini caldera this was not.

After a little loop in the area up near the launch point accompanied by story time about both the area's history and its contemporary evolution (e.g., turns out the resources and people adept at shipbuilding are also rather useful in the manufacturing of windmill turbines), we ambled down toward the city center. Below are a variety of shots I snapped on the way. New condos, historic buildings, waterside restaurants, etc. Nice little ride if you don't come in hoping for a 'wow' sunset viewing. The crew consisted of one captain driving and the guide, well, guiding. They shared some interesting tidbits, both historical and contemporary (e.g., the fact that locals refer to one of the islands as 'booking.com' since it's all holiday apartments). Some of it came off a bit scripted and forced. But definitely worth the modest price they charge for the time.