Polish sailor Wladek Wagner would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. It is also the 20th anniversary of his death, and the 80th anniversary of his departure on the voyage that would make him the first Pole to sail around the world.
“We have declared this is the year of Wagner,” said Jerzy Knabe, commodore of London’s Polish Yacht Club.
Mr. Knabe said it is time to honour Mr. Wagner, who called the Virgin Islands home for almost a decade.
Mr. Knabe is one of the organisers of the Wagner Sailing Rally, held this weekend at Trellis Bay. About 200 Polish sailors and visitors attended a plaque-unveiling ceremony Saturday afternoon on Bellamy Cay, paying tribute to Mr. Wagner.
See the Jan. 26, 2012 edition for full coverage.