KOMIZA-PALAGRUZA

The decisive and the most important day of Rota Palagruzona has arrived, the day of fierce struggling with 42 miles to the distant shore of Palagruža. There is a light north wind and the promise of changing of the morning tramontane into an afternoon mistral. The estimations of the exact moment when this change is going to happen is the base on which the competitors have developed their strategies. The mistral is the easiest wind for sailing towards Palagruža because it blows from the ideal direction – over the starboard quarter.

At eight o'clock the captains meet for the final agreement. The rules are familiar to all. The Regatta Committee has determined that the start should be at the pear exactly at 9:20. The Regatta Committee is using the speedboat "Lobster" which the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, put at the disposal of Rota Palagruzona for this occasion.

The Regatta Committee was appointed by YC HOST from Vis and its task is to make sure that all the competition rules are followed and respected. The president of the Committee is Igor Piacun, and the Committee members are Damir Višić, Siniša Bilić i Sani Delić.

Numerous journalists, photographers and cameramen followed the regatta on the speedboat "Plovput 7": distinguished photographers Ivo Pervan, Jadran Babić from Slobodna Dalmacija, Boris Kragić from Hvar; HRT cameramen Petar Granić and Milan Latković and Dinko Božanić from the Academy of Arts, University of Split, who were filming the race for a documentary on the Rota Palagruzona. Thomas J. Strodel, an American cameraman who works for a New York City-based production company 24FPS PRODUCTIONS is also with them since they have decided to make a documentary about Rota Palagruzona, too.

Ministry of Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Croatia also participated in the Rota Palagruzona with their newly built schoolship "Queen of the Sea". Among journalists and cameramen on that ship there were twelve foreign journalists - guests of the Croatian Tourist Board. The main logistics ship of the Rota Palagruzona was the ship “Palagruža” of the Hydrographical Institute in Split.

On the stage in front of the fortress Komuna, the first speaker is the representative of the Croatian Government, State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Management Tonči Božanić who as a host native of Komiža is talking about the historical contribution of Komiža fishermen, not only to Croatian, but also to the world fishery.

As the patron of the regatta Rota Palagruzona, the Croatian president Ivo Josipović, had to cancel his already announced visit to Komiža due to unforeseen circumstances, he sent his envoy - the Croatian Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Ante Urlić who entered Komiža port aboard the battleship "Dubrovnik". Admiral Urlić emphasized the major role of Komiža fishermen in preserving the Croatian maritime zone, highlighting the fact that Croatia has now a vast maritime zone around the outermost islands, including Palagruža which is much closer to the Italian coast than to the Croatian mainland. This is precisely the merit attributed to Komiža fishermen whose efforts were worthily celebrated by this regatta.

That morning in Komiža cafés, the main question was who was going to win. Two falkuša boats were the absolute favorites: falkuša of the cultural foundation Ars Halieutica, "Comeza-Lisboa", and falkuša "Mikula" owned by Tomislav Klitcko, a businessman from Zagreb. Both boats are 9m long, but that morning many favored falkuša "Mikula" because its owner had had a new 17m lateen sail made especially for Rota Palagruzona. The new sail is four meters longer than that of "Comeza-Lisboa". It seemed that the Mikula's crew wanted to push the falkusa's sailing potential to the limit. With such a dramatic plot, which that morning was the main theme in Komiža, the regatta started.

The two falkuša boats begun their rival competition right form the start, striving to leave the Komiža bay as soon as possible and to reach the open sea where they were going to meet the first strong gusts of tramontane wind. The falkuša "Mikula" immediately demonstrated the advantage of its enormous lateen sail starting to increase the distance from "Comeza-Lisboa". The leut "Jaruh" which sails better into the wind than falkuša managed to get to Cape Stupišće at the exit of Komiža Bay before "Comeza-Lisboa".

At open sea the calculations begin: on which position meet the mistral that will probably start to blow. The crucial issue is when tramontane will turn to mistral and how strong the wind will be. This is particularly important issue for falkuša "Mikula" because of its huge lateen sail which should be shortened in case of strong mistral - not an easy task to perform in rough seas. Two strategists of "Mikula" navigation, the young captain Pino Vojković and the experienced skipper from Split Leo Lemešić, decide to sail downwind so that, upon meeting the afternoon mistral, they should be faster and beat "Comeza-Lisboa".

The sailing strategists of "Comeza-Lisboa", captain Tonko Gruja and a higly skilled skipper from Dubrovnik Jadran Gamulin, decide to take the Route 165, which is a direct route from Cape Stupišće to the Island of Palagruža. Experienced captain Gruja accurately estimated that the mistral was going to blow late and that the opposing falkuša wouldn't be able to realize the great advantage of the big sail.

The leut "Jaruh" from Murter first managed to get out of the Komiža bay and was the only serious rival to falkuša boats in the first part of the regatta. The Murter sailing school even here, on route to Palagruža, showed that they indeed inherited knowledge, skills and tradition of old sailors to whom sailing was a part of everyday life.

Eventually, "Comeza-Lisboa" gained a greater advantage over "Mikula" which, like most boats participating in the regatta, went too far to the west in hope that tramontane will change to mistral. Since tramontane was blowing until late afternoon, meaning that the boats were sailing downwind for a long time, the tandem Tonko Gruja and Jadran Gamulin decided to use the the storm jib sail of their falkuša instead of headsail and tilt it sideways using an oar as an improvised second bowsprit. This way the ship was catching the wind much better and the falkuša easily escaped other competing boats.

A few miles before the finish line, the „Comeza-Lisboa“ crew noticed that the sails of falkuša „Mikula“ were getting bigger on the horizon. The mistral was rather strong at that point and the boat could now reach its maximum speed thanks to its big sails and broad reaching. However, on „Comeza-Lisboa“ they were already celebrating because the distance from „Mikula“ was so great that the victory was secured.

„Comeza-Lisboa" first crossed the finish line - at 16:36:46, exactly 7:16:46 after sailing from Komiža to Palagruža. Falkuša „Mikula“ followed crossing the finish line at 16:59:43, leut "Jaruh" comes third, but the first in the Leut category, at 17:19:14, Leut "Slobodna Dalmacija" arrives at 17:37:59, leut "Bažokić" at 17:51:56, leut "Šjor Brane" at 18:09:29. Cutter "Komiža" came first in its category at 18:43:42.

(Photo Dinko Božanić)