NaCzarter Team
· Updated
Port Royal in Giżycko: what handover day actually looks like
Yacht handover at Port Royal happens on Saturday: a walk-around with the harbour master, a condition report listing the equipment, the deposit and mandatory fees settled in cash on site, and for houseboats a short training session out on the water. It takes less time than most people expect, as long as nobody is in a rush. The marina sits on Lake Kisajno, 92 of our boats are moored here, and most of our crews start their trip from this pontoon. Here is the day step by step, the way it really goes.
Where it is and how to get there
Giżycko, Lake Kisajno. Kisajno is the water north of town, part of the Great Masurian Lakes route that runs on towards Mamry. To the south, towards Niegocin, you go through the canal in Giżycko, under the swing bridge. The bridge has fixed opening times and that is the first thing to keep in the back of your head when planning your first afternoon.
Driving in: sat nav takes you to the marina without surprises, but the last stretch is a harbour road, so go slowly and do not invent shortcuts through back yards. If it is your first time, call when you reach Giżycko. The harbour master will tell you where to park so you do not block the access road in the middle of handover day. What Kisajno is like from a sailor's point of view, the shallows, the bays, what is closest from here, we covered separately in our guide to Lake Kisajno.
Saturday at the marina, seen from the harbour master's side
In the morning the boats come back from the previous charter. Every one of them has to be inspected, cleaned, restocked, the engine and equipment checked, sometimes something tightened or replaced. Only then does that same boat go to the new crew. Which means handovers run one after another, and the order is set by when a particular boat came back, not by who parked first.
Hence a simple conclusion: arriving three hours early will not get you out on the water any sooner. Other things will. The whole crew on site, one person assigned to the condition report, cash ready for the deposit, luggage moved from hard suitcases into soft bags. A quarter of an hour of calm over the report is in everyone's interest. We want to know what condition the boat leaves in, you want everything you did not do written down.
What happens at handover
The walk-around starts outside. Hull, topsides, fenders, mooring lines, boat hook, ladder. The harbour master points out the scratches and scuffs that are already there, and they go into the report. Then the interior: galley, berths, heads, water tank, holding tank, electrics, navigation lights. Engine and steering last. On a houseboat there is also a trip out on the water, because a flat-bottomed boat with high topsides handles nothing like a car and nothing like a sailing yacht. Our houseboats, the Nautiner 40 or the Sun Camper 35 Flybridge for instance, need no licence, but that does not mean the first manoeuvres do themselves.
Both sides sign the report. Do not treat it as a box to tick, treat it as your insurance policy for Saturday next week. We wrote about it at greater length in the piece on yacht handover and the condition report.
The deposit and mandatory fees are settled on site, in cash. The deposit is refundable and comes back when you return the boat, if nothing happened. We do not take it online and we do not block it on a card. The rules, the amount and what can realistically eat into it are covered in a separate post on the charter deposit in Masuria.
Hour by hour
| Time of day | What happens | What you can do to keep it smooth |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Boats return from the previous charter, servicing and cleaning begin | Do not turn up at the pontoon at dawn. Do your shopping in town, have a proper breakfast |
| Before handover | The harbour master finishes checking your boat and calls or comes to find you | Keep your phone on and the whole crew nearby. Luggage repacked into bags |
| Handover | Walk-around, condition report, briefing, deposit and fees settled | Pick one person to talk to the harbour master. The rest do not start loading gear yet |
| Training on the water | On a houseboat, a short run out: manoeuvres, going astern, coming alongside | Whoever will actually helm stands at the wheel. Not the boldest, the real one |
| Leaving the marina | Off the mooring piles, course for Kisajno | Fenders out, lines coiled, crew knows who holds what |
| First evening | A short leg and a night in a marina near the base | Book a berth in advance and arrive before dusk |
First manoeuvres
In the marina you moor to piles or to a mooring line. Piles are posts you tie the stern to, bow to the pontoon. A mooring line lies in the water: you pick it up with the boat hook at the stern and walk it along the side to the bow, where you make it fast. Sounds trivial, and with a crosswind it can be less trivial. The anchor is for later, for wild bays, and on charter boats you have a rope on it, not a chain.
Wind pushes a houseboat around. High topsides catch every gust, a flat bottom does not hold a course the way a keel does. Leaving the marina for Kisajno, do everything slower than your head suggests. Engine at low revs, one command at a time, and ideally silence on deck instead of five people advising at once.
What to bring and what to ask
Soft bags, because hard suitcases do not fit in the lockers. A rain jacket even in July, shoes with light soles, a cap, sun cream, a power bank, cash for the deposit and fees. The rest you can buy in Giżycko.
What to ask the harbour master before you leave the pontoon:
- Where the seacocks are and when they get closed.
- Where the battery isolator sits and what it shuts down.
- The emergency number to the base and who to call in the evening.
- Where the fire extinguisher and lifebuoy are stowed.
- How much fuel and water you start with, and where to top up along the way.
- How to pump out the holding tank in a marina and where to leave rubbish, because this is a protected area and we take it seriously.
If this is your first trip, read our guide before your first charter beforehand. A lot of the calls we take in the week before departure already have their answer in there.
Why you do not plan a long first-day passage
Because you leave in the afternoon, on a boat you do not know yet, with a crew still settling in. Add the bridge and the traffic in the canal. In a strong wind Śniardwy and Mamry build a short steep chop, and you cross those lakes in the morning or not at all, certainly not tired on your first evening. Plan a stop an hour, maybe two, from the base. Dinner at a sensible hour will do more for the mood on board than an extra hour of motoring after dark.
Handing the boat back on Saturday morning
You come back in the morning, because the next crew is already dreaming about that same boat. Before you return, empty the fridge, take your rubbish, clear your things out of the lockers. The harbour master does a walk-around with the same report as at handover and checks fuel and equipment. If something happened along the way, say so yourself before anyone finds it. That conversation is then short and normal. The deposit comes back in cash, exactly as it was paid.
Frequently asked questions
What time will I actually get away? Usually in the afternoon, but the exact hour depends on when your boat came back and how the servicing went. The harbour master confirms it on the day. Do not plan anything fixed for Saturday right after handover.
Can I arrive the day before? To Giżycko, absolutely, and plenty of crews do exactly that, so they start Saturday rested. Sleeping on the yacht before your charter is out, because until the morning the boat is still on its trip. The town has accommodation in every price range, just book ahead at the height of the season.
Where do I leave the car? Normally the car stays in the marina for the duration of the trip. Confirm the rules and the number of spaces with the office when you book, and give your registration number so there are no surprises on Saturday.
Do I pay the deposit online? No. The deposit and mandatory fees are settled in cash on site, at handover. The deposit is refundable and you get it back when you return the boat.
Do I need a licence? Not for the houseboats we keep at Port Royal. You get training on the water and as much briefing as you need to come alongside calmly.
Cover photo: NaCzarter.pl (own fleet)
