By invitation from the Commandant of the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia, several second and fourth-year Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy cadets, led by Lieutenant CommanderPetar Klimov, from 5 June to 10 July 2016 took part in the annual seagoing training on board the training ship Wodnik from the Navy of the Republic of Poland.

The fourth-year cadets Stiliyan Georgiev and Kamen Ivanov and the second-year cadets Krasen Kyosev and Borislav Ivanov arrived in Gdynia, Poland, on 5 June 2016. Their voyage on the ORP Wodnik started on 6 June 2016.

From the Baltic Sea via the straits of Kattegat and Skagerrak, they reached the North Sea. The English Channel and the Celtic Sea followed via the periphery of the Bay of Biscay. Sailing through the Atlantic Ocean, they reached the Azores on 15 June 2016.

On 1 July 2016 they went through the Strait of Bonifacio between the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Sailing past Italy, they entered the Adriatic Sea, reaching Bar, Montenegro, on 7 July 2016.

Such practical training is extremely useful for the acquisition of practical habits and professional skills, playing through shipboard drills, keeping watch both at anchor and underway, operating modern equipment, working with documentation and specalised literature, enhancing the trainees’ seamanship and sea survival skills. Last but not least, the cadets are given an opportunity to improve their English language proficiency and to enhance their communication skills in an international environment.