The Split Sailing Festival Attracts a Record Number of Sailors and Visitors

Spectacular sailing in the waters of the Split, Brač, Hvar, and Vis channels, exciting duels, and tactical decisions under changing wind conditions marked the finale of the 80th Vis Regatta, the most prestigious cruising sailing event in Croatia. The Vis Regatta is the culmination of the Split Sailing Festival, which this year attracted a record number of participants and visitors across four regattas. A total of 436 crews with around 3000 sailors participated in the regattas within the Split Sailing Festival (Boboviška Labud Classic, Mala Mrduja, Mrdujska Regatta, and Vis Regatta).

In the sporting climax of the Split Sailing Festival, the yacht Stravaganza with a crew led by helmsman Niko Kmetović won in real time in the second stage of the 80th Vis Regatta, from Vis to Split, thus becoming the fastest boat of the regatta. After a tactical battle with the Split Polet Furioso, the Dubrovnik team managed to overtake their rivals and reach the finish line first.

In the first stage to Vis, Polet Furioso from the Split JK Labud was the fastest, but finished third in the second stage. The Slovenian Generali, led by Sam Žvan, finished second in real time in the finale of the second stage. According to ORC classification, the overall winner of the Vis Regatta is Coral VII, skippered by Željko Simičić.

Tactical decisions were crucial in this year’s Vis Regatta. The start of the second stage from Vis was marked by favorable conditions, with a fresh levant, allowing for fast sailing all the way to Punta Pelegrina, where the wind weakened. Then, the passage through the Split Gates was extremely challenging, and the battle between Stravaganza and Polet Furioso decided the winner. The regatta director, Toni Mlikota, noted that the conditions at sea were ideal for the first half of the route, but the transition between different wind directions made it difficult for the boats to reach Split.

– Fortunately, the western wind that blew later allowed most crews to successfully finish the regatta under spinnakers, ” said Mlikota.

The Split Sailing Festival, held this year from September 21 to October 20, once again brought together several of the most prestigious regattas on the Adriatic, and the festival was enriched with numerous new contents this year.

Particular attention was drawn to the event CROYA (Croatian Yacht Association) Yacht Charter Show, during which luxury yachts displayed on the western coast of Split were the center of interest for visitors and nautical enthusiasts.

This year, the festival was supported by sponsors and partners, including Tommy, one of the leading national retail chains and market leaders on the Croatian coast, and the Beneteau Group, a world-renowned shipyard from La Rochelle, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, and on this occasion, two special groups were added to the Vis Regatta: Beneteau yachts and Beneteau Oceanis 46.1. Special awards were also won by the top three yachts in a separate One Design class Oceanis 46.1 (1. Bumblebee, Luka Duvjakinja; 2. Ariel, Zoran Arnautović; 3. Nauti Buoy, Aleksandar Marić), as well as the fastest Beneteau yachts (fastest Beneteau yacht: Pisces, Darko Pužek, JK Samobor; fastest Beneteau yacht under 11 meters: Ultra First, Toni Bušić, JK Split).

The awards ceremony traditionally took place on the plateau in front of JK Labud in Uvala Baluni, where the winners were announced.

The Split Sailing Festival continues to grow and develop as one of the most important sailing events in the region. Its organizers, Sailing Club Labud and marketing agency Pro Media Group (PMG), hereby announce an even richer program for next year, with additional contents and activities for all visitors and participants. The Split Sailing Festival has become an unmissable event in the sailing calendar, so we invite all sailors and enthusiasts to mark the date of the next Split Sailing Festival in their calendars.