Photo credit (c): Cristian NISTOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The Tudor Vladimirescu paddle steamer is the only such boat operational in Europe. It was built in 1850-1853, at the Ganzdanubius shipyard, ordered by the DDSG Company of Austria that conducted trade in Wallachia and Moldavia and needed a powerful tug to cross the Danube Boilers. In 1919, the boat was given to Romania in war reparation. She was rechristened the Sarmisegetuza and converted to a passenger steamer travelling the Braila-Galati-Tulcea-Sulina route. In 2004, the boat was repaired and refurbished to modern standards by her owner, Navrom Galati. Her 600 hp steam-driven paddle system was kept in place.

‘It is just spectacular to passengers to watch through the glass walls of the main deck as the double expansion vertical cylinders mechanism operates, which ship experts call a technical gem. The system has been kept in place because it is still working perfectly, and the only change was the replacement of the fuel for the boilers; oil fuel was replaced with diesel fuel to remove the smoke that would be evacuated through the chimney and would have been an element of discomfort to passengers,’ says Navrom Galati Director Constantin Hartan.

The ship has two lounges, indoor and deck bars and she can take one hundred passengers aboard. Cruises are conducted for groups of tourists, and the fee for one hour’s march is 1,000 euros. Visitors aboard the Tudor Vladimirescu are proud to travel by a unique ship in Europe that also carried the likes of King Ferdinand and Queen Maria, kings Carol II and Mihai, marshals Averescu and Antonescu and during the communist period, the likes of USSR President Nikita Khrushchev, who was a guest of Romania’s President Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej.

In the footsteps of Gadhafi, Demirel and other guests of Ceausescu
Tourists as well as students of the Galati Navy High School have the chance of walking in the footsteps of the 1980s and 1990s potentates like Gadhafi and then Turkish President Suleyman Demirel. They can stay in the former official lounges, where members of the Warsaw Treaty once met the president of Malta. The Steaua Polara, pole star, the official boat of late Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, is now teaching material for Navy high school students as well as a tourist attraction.

Photo (c): Dan PAIC / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The Pole Star was stuck for a long time in the Tulcea shipyard. For several years now, she has been floating without any zero degree missions. Few even know the history of the ship. She was manufactured in 1971 and was designed as a training ship for the Galati Navy High School. Fifteen years later, she became a secret official boat of Nicolae Ceausescu. It happened with the opening of the Danube — Black Sea Canal on May 26, 1984, when she was part of the official convoy alongside Navy ships.

‘Back then, security was tight here. We were operating as a training ship, but when the canal opened, we joined as an official boat. The furniture, tableware and flowers would come in from Constanta and the entire boat would change looks. When the distinguished guest left, everything would be taken away and returned for the next guest. Ceausescu would send to this boat the guests he did not want joining him aboard the Mircea cel Batran. He would travel in his ship ahead , followed by us and the guests and the navy ships bringing up the rear,’ says commander of the Pole Star for over 20 years Ion Cocleaza.

The boat can be rented to groups of tourists only when the Navy High School students are on vacation.

Moldavian sailboat Stefan cel Sfant
It is called a panzar because it is a small-scale replica of a real sailboat of Moldavia’s fleet under Stephen the Great. In those days, Moldavia’s sailboats would roam the Danube, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, to Italian ports and even Gibraltar. The ship is 17.6 m long and 5-m broad, with a draft of 1.5 m. Her displacement is 25 tons deadweight. The keel and ribs are made of oak plywood, the shell is made of larch wood, her deck of mahogany and teak and panelling is of luan plywood, which is very resistant to water.

Photo credit (c): Dan PAIC / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The boat is powered by three sails of 30 square metres, 40 square metres and 45 square metres. In order to be allowed to sail under today’s conditions, the boat had to be fitted with modern equipment and installations. The boat is powered by a 70 HP diesel engine, with the 1.2 tonnes of fuel that can be stored aboard securing an autonomy of 1,200 nautical miles, more than 2000 km. The boat is now equipped with all the installations required for sailing by port authorities, including hydraulic steering, GPS navigational system, radar, radio station and a modern sonar for underground detection. She is a very safe boat. The company that built her, Spat SA Galati, tested her in a category 5 storm. There are eight berths and two restrooms aboard. Navigation is provided by a crew of four people. The boat can take 20 tourists. Ship owner is Galati County Council, via the Lower Danube Culture Centre. Her maiden cruise with tourists aboard was performed in June 2012, when a group of professors from a Paris university used her to travel on the Danube and the Prut. A 10-hour cruise by the Panzarul Modlovenesc sailboat cost 1,000 euros.

Catamaran cruises
The Vega catamaran is a high-speed boat that offers tourists a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere, with music, refreshments, snacks and alcohol. The Vega is a last generation catamaran, 16.6 m long and 4.6 m broad. She is powered by two Yamaha engines and she can reach a top speed of 55 km/h, while the cruising speed is 30 km/h. She is also equipped with a satellite navigation system and sonar, and she can enter any canal in the Danube Delta. Regular two-hour trips by the Vega are conducted Monday to Friday from 18:00hrs, and Saturday and Sunday at 12:00hrs and 18:00hrs. The route is Galati — Braila, non-stop and the cost of such trips is 30 lei/person. At the weekend, the Vega Hotel managers also organise special one-hour-and-a-half trips called Galati City on the Danube that cost 25 lei/person, starting at 16:30hrs. The maximum capacity of the catamaran is 30 seats. Cruises are performed for a minimum of 20 passengers. Tickets are paid upon boarding. Children under five travel free if not occupying seats. At the request of groups of tourists, two-day trips to the Danube Delta are also offered, with the package including transport, accommodation and all-inclusive services.

AGERPRES