Traditional St. Nicholas Regatta
The traditional regatta entitled “St. Nicholas for Singles and Doubles“ took place between December 3rd and 6th to commemorate the St. Nicholas Day, the protector of sailors and the City of Komiža on the Island of Vis. The regatta was organised by the “Mornar” Sailing Club from Split.
Due to the unfavourable weather conditions typical for this time of year, the 250 Nm regatta on the Split – Glavat lighthouse – Palagruža – Komiža route was demanding and it took 25 hours to complete it under rain and mild jugo wind. The winner of the regatta was the “Dubrovnik“ sailboat with helmsmen Denis Vukas and Ivo Kvestić from the Orsan Sailing Club.
Ivica Kostelić, a famous athlete, represented the Marina Kaštela Sailing Club on the “Ola Full of life” sailboat. He finished the regatta in the 9th position while the 10th position was taken by helmsmen Mladen Bralić Novak and Luka Novaković on the “My May“ sailboat. Vrančić Čiril and Boris Žižić reached the 13th position in the overall standing on the “Srna V” sailboat.
After the regatta, all competitors participated in the famous procession of the sailor holiday of St. Nicholas that took place in front of the church in Komiža bearing the same name.
This old church, also known as St. Mikula, has made a deep impact in the history of the islanders whose lives depended on the sea and ships. The people of Komiža, together with the participants of this regatta, continue to cherish the ancient custom of burning a wooden boat in front of the church as a symbolic sacrifice intended to spare the lives of all ships and sailors who sail around the world. This unique custom reminds the people on the island and yachtsmen that the soul merges with the boat as they sail together and depend on each other.
Foto: JK Mornar, Facebook “Sv.Nikola za samce i dvojce”