NaCzarter Team
· Updated
Tajty: a lake with more boats on it than you would think
If you are looking for a place to start a cruise near Gizycko but without the Gizycko crowds, Tajty is the simplest answer: you cast off from one of the four marinas here, you are on open water within minutes, and the queue at the swing bridge is off your list on day one. We have 41 boats based here. For comparison, neighbouring Kisajno has 114 of ours, so on paper Tajty looks quiet. Except that is an illusion. There are plenty of boats, they are just spread along the shores instead of packed into one basin in the middle of town.
Most crews know Tajty from passing through. You cross it heading south or north and what sticks in your memory is mainly the canal and the buoys. A shame, because as a starting point this water has a few things Gizycko simply does not.
Where it sits on the route and what follows from that
Tajty lies just west of Gizycko and it is a junction, not a dead-end arm. One canal takes you down to Niegocin, the other runs north towards Kisajno. That second one matters. If your cruise plan leads to Mamry, the northern lakes or Sztynort, you do not have to enter central Gizycko at all or wait for the swing bridge to open. You leave the marina and go your own way.
It works just as well in the other direction. Niegocin is one canal away, and from there the whole southern part of the route opens up: Niegocin, then Boczne, then Jagodne and the way towards Mikolajki. Day one from Tajty is not a day spent getting out of town.
The character of the water: shores, bays, less traffic
Tajty is broken up. The shoreline cuts in and out, there are places to stop for a while, eat something and look around. Traffic is noticeably lighter than on Niegocin at midday in July, because nobody races across the middle of this lake. Most boats move between the marinas and the entrances to the canals.
For a crew taking the helm of a houseboat for the first time, that has real value. You do your first manoeuvres on water where you do not have three other boats breathing down your neck waiting for the same spot at the quay. Beginner crews get a calmer first day here than those starting from a busy town centre, and you can see it in how their first approach to the mooring piles goes.
A houseboat has a flat bottom and a high freeboard. During manoeuvres it catches a beam wind like a sail you did not ask for. On Tajty there is room to practise that without an audience.
Why starting from Tajty is often easier than from central Gizycko
Start with the car. The marinas on Tajty sit outside the town centre, so leaving a car for a week is simply easier than in town in high season. Then there is the first hour of the cruise. Instead of squeezing through a basin full of boats, you head out onto open water and settle there, calmly, who is on the helm and who handles the lines.
That leaves the swing bridge. Heading north, you skip it entirely. Heading south, you do not need it anyway. And there is one thing that does not show up in a price list. Saturday handover in town is always a pile-up: some crews returning, others taking over, everyone wanting the same pontoon. At a smaller marina the same moment is just quieter.
Four marinas on Tajty
| Marina | Where | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Port Hotelu Tajty | Wilkasy | Crews with children and anyone who wants hotel facilities on hand before casting off and after coming back |
| Yacht Port Piekna Gora | Piekna Gora | Cruises planned for Kisajno, Mamry and Sztynort, without entering the town centre |
| Port Wrony | on Tajty | Anyone after quiet and less bustle at handover |
| Port Koncha | on Tajty | A small-scale start, smaller groups, unhurried first manoeuvres |
Each of them has boats of various sizes, from compact ones to large licence-free houseboats. Check a specific boat by its model name, because that is what tells you how many cabins you get, what the draught is and whether there is a flybridge. Engine power can differ between individual boats of the same model, so if that matters to you, ask about the specific boat.
How far you can get: a day, a weekend, a week
In one day, at an easy pace, you have two sensible options. South: through the canal onto Niegocin, across Niegocin and on towards Boczne, with a night in a marina along the way. North: the passage to Kisajno and a stop in the marinas there. On Kisajno we have Port Royal, our own base, and next to it Stanica Wodna Stranda and OW Labedzi Ostrow.
A weekend already covers a decent stretch of the route. The classic goes: Saturday to Boczne or further, Sunday towards Jagodne, Monday back. If you want a ready plan with timings, we have a three-day route written up that you can start from Tajty with no changes at all.
A week gives you a loop. South to Mikolajki and back, or north through Kisajno to Mamry and Sztynort. Add nights in marinas along the way, and when planning it helps to have a list of where to stop. One thing to put in the calendar: the Guzianka lock and the swing bridge in Gizycko have opening hours. You build the route around them, not the other way round.
Westerly wind and other things to check
In a westerly, Niegocin turns unpleasant, because the wind builds along the length of the lake and the waves reach the eastern shore fully grown. Leaving Tajty is easy then, coming back into the wind much less so. If you have the choice, cross the big open lakes in the morning, before it blows at full strength. On Sniardwy and Mamry the same rule applies twice over. The waves there get short and steep, and in a strong wind you simply do not go.
Mooring in the marinas means piles or a mooring line. You pick the mooring line up with a boat hook at the stern and walk it along the side to the bow. Keep the anchor for wild stops in sheltered bays. On charter boats it is on a rope, not a chain, so pay it out with some feel. Anchor light on overnight anchor stops.
And one thing nobody in Masuria argues about: rubbish and sewage go ashore in the marinas, and barbecues are only allowed in designated spots. This is a protected area and there are checks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gizycko far from Tajty? No. They are neighbouring waters, separated by a canal. By water it is a matter of tens of minutes at an easy pace, by road it is a short drive. In practice that means you have the town's shops and facilities within reach without sitting in the middle of it.
Is it a good place to start a first cruise? Yes, and that is one of the stronger arguments for Tajty. Less traffic, more room for your first approaches to the pontoon, and no pressure from a queue at the swing bridge in the first hour. The first day ends up calmer, and that usually decides how the crew feels for the rest of the week.
Where do you leave the car? Usually at the marina where you pick up the boat. Rules and cost differ between marinas, so ask when booking and say straight away how many cars are coming. On site you also settle the refundable deposit and the mandatory fees, in cash, not online.
Does the charter week always start on Saturday? In peak season it usually does, because the whole fleet rotation is set up around Saturdays. Outside the peak there are shorter and differently arranged slots, so if a midweek start matters to you, ask about the specific date.
Can you do a loop from here in a week? You can, and without rushing. A week is enough for the southern loop around Mikolajki or a run north through Kisajno to Mamry. Leave yourself a spare day in port, because sooner or later the weather will demand one anyway.
Cover photo: Birczanin — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
