NaCzarter Team
· Updated
Święcajty and Kirsajty: two lakes almost everyone sails straight past
They are worth the detour, because on the whole northern route these are the quietest waters you will find without leaving the chart. Kirsajty and Święcajty sit right on the way from Giżycko to Węgorzewo. Nearly every boat passes them. Almost nobody stops, because the crew already has the destination marina and a cold beer in mind. And yet these two lakes give you exactly what people come to Masuria for in the first place: space where nobody is honking at you.
Kirsajty: a link that refuses to behave like one
On the chart, Kirsajty looks like a narrow neck joining Dargin to Mamry. Something to get through. In practice it is a completely different body of water from its neighbours: shallower, narrower, framed by reeds, with shores where very little happens.
The wind behaves differently here. On Dargin you get it at full stretch; on Kirsajty it comes broken and ragged, gusting from odd directions. For the sails that can be annoying. For your nerves, quite the opposite, because the waves have no room to build. If someone in the crew is spending their first hours on the helm in Masuria, this is a better training ground than open water.
There are plenty of birds here and you hear them from the water. That is not brochure talk, it is physics: where there are reeds there are birds, and where there are fewer engines you can actually hear them.
The morning that brings people back
The best thing about Kirsajty happens between five and seven in the morning. You step into the cockpit, still in a hoodie, mug in hand. The water lies flat as sheet metal, not a ripple, the whole shoreline mirrored upside down. No engines, no music, nobody around. All you hear is birds: something bursting out of the reeds, something flying over the mast. In two hours the wind will fill in, traffic will build on the fairway and it will be an ordinary Masurian day. But that morning stays with you far longer than most marina parties.
Święcajty: tucked away next to Sztynort
Święcajty has one advantage money cannot buy: it lies east of the main route, off to the side. Through traffic passes by towards Węgorzewo while you sit a short hop away from all of it, in peace.
It is close to Sztynort, so the day plans itself: shopping and water in the marina in the morning, then out onto Święcajty for the afternoon and evening. Or the other way round if it blows hard enough to make Mamry unpleasant: you drop down here to wait it out instead of pounding across open water.
It is a good spot to anchor in a sheltered bay, clear of the fairway. Remember that a charter yacht gives you an anchor rope, not chain, so pay out plenty of scope and check that the anchor is actually holding rather than just lying on the bottom. Anchor light overnight, no debate.
Which lake suits whom
| Lake | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Kirsajty | Shallow, narrow, reeds and birds. Broken wind, no room for waves | Crews with children, beginner helms, early risers with a camera |
| Święcajty | Off the main route, quiet, close to the facilities in Sztynort | Anyone who wants a night at anchor or a place to sit out the wind |
| Dargin | Open, windy, transit traffic | Sailors after a proper tack and a quick run north |
| Mamry | Big water, short steep chop when the wind picks up | Experienced crews, ideally with an early start |
Practicalities: it really is shallow here
The biggest trap in this area is the illusion of space. The water looks wide, but shoals and reed beds reach closer than your eye suggests. Stay in the marked fairway and do not cut corners diagonally, because that is exactly how you end up aground on a soft bottom with a sheepish look on your face.
What that means for a specific boat: the Antila 33 draws between 0.5 and 1.8 m thanks to its centreboard, so if it comes to it the board goes up and you get yourself off under your own power. The Maxus 33.1 RS has a fin keel, not a centreboard, and draws 0.5 to 1.7 m, but you cannot lift a fin, so attention matters more here. The Stillo 30 houseboat, drawing 0.6 to 0.7 m with a flat bottom, has the most margin, but it does not sail to windward and in a crosswind it can drift a fair bit during manoeuvres.
Overnight stays, waste, quiet
Anchoring overnight only in a sheltered bay and only clear of the fairway. Rubbish and black water go ashore at a marina, nothing ends up in the lake. This is not eco-preaching, it is a protected area and a rule people here take seriously. Some of the islands in this region are nature reserves you simply do not land on, so camping on shore is out.
No barbecue on the deck of a charter yacht. Grilling only in designated spots, at a marina or a jetty.
And one thing I would ask for myself: leave the speaker switched off. The entire value of Święcajty and Kirsajty lies in what is not here. If someone blasts dance music across the bay, they take that quiet away from themselves and from everyone around.
Facilities within reach
The nearest sensible facilities are Sztynort and Węgorzewo. Water, power, black water pump-out, a shop, fuel. When you plan the day, assume you either tie up in one of them in the evening or you consciously stay at anchor with a full water tank and an empty holding tank. There is no third option.
From Giżycko it is an easy day's sailing, with time to spare for the swing bridge. The bridge has its opening times and you fit around it, not the other way round. Charter weeks here traditionally start on Saturday, so it is best to pencil these two lakes in for day two or three, once the crew has settled in and nobody is in a hurry to get anywhere yet.
Frequently asked questions
Is the detour to Święcajty and Kirsajty really worth it? If you are after attractions, bars and a social scene: no, head for Mikołajki. If after three days in the crowds you want one quiet evening and one quiet morning: yes, and that is the perfect moment to use these two lakes.
Where can you moor around here? Realistically overnight in Sztynort or Węgorzewo, where the marinas have full facilities. In marinas you berth on mooring piles or on a mooring line: you pick the line up with a boat hook from the stern and walk it along the side to the bow. You do not drop an anchor inside a marina. On Święcajty and Kirsajty themselves, stopping means anchoring in a sheltered bay clear of the fairway.
Is it shallow there? In places yes, especially near the reed beds and along the shores of Kirsajty. In the fairway there is no problem; outside it you need to watch the depth sounder and not trust the fact that "the water looks deep". Centreboard yachts have an easier time here than fin-keel ones.
Is it a good area for beginners? Very good. Small waves, short legs, no crowds and none of the traffic you get on Tałty in August. Ideal for your first solo manoeuvres and your first time at anchor. One condition: read the chart and stick to the marks, because running aground here is easier than anywhere else in the north.
Cover photo: Janericloebe — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
