Lošinj presented the Losinava festival in Rijeka

From September 2 to 16, 2023, Lošinj will once again return to the golden age of seafaring with the "LOSINAVA" festival, during which everyone interested will have the opportunity to enjoy a rich program dedicated to the maritime and shipbuilding traditions of the island of Lošinj through numerous regattas and sports events, concerts and educational lectures and workshops.

The traditional opening of the festival, on September 2, begins in the port of Malošinj with the 11th Lošinj regatta of oarsmen. In this traditional rowing race, wooden pasaras up to 4,3 and over 4,3 meters compete, modeled after the former pasara rowing regattas that were held at the end of the 19th century..

"We are very proud that the competitive spirit of the people of Lošinj has been maintained until the present day, following the example of the regattas of our ancestors who regularly nurtured the spirit of rowing, relying on the competition to make boats as best and as quickly as possible. Considering the existence of seven shipyards in the Malošinj bay at the end of the 19th century, it was traditional to compete, fish and live with the sea, just like today", he explained president of the Lošinj Seamen's Club, Lucio Jurjako.

In addition to the Pasar Regatta, the 6th Night Regatta of Traditional Sailing Boats under the floodlights in the port of Mali Lošinj and the 41st Lošinj Regatta - the regatta of the Lošinj Olympians; navigation regatta and rod regatta! This is not surprising considering that Agostino Straulino from Lošinj was the greatest sailor in Italian Olympic history.

"The second weekend in September is reserved for the Lošinj Olympians Regatta. It is one of the most successful cruiser regattas in the calendar of the Croatian Sailing Association in the northern Adriatic, and this has been confirmed for 41 years in a row. Due to its location and favorable sea conditions, the water area of ​​the island of Lošinj presents a challenge to sailors , that's why about fifty crews from Croatia, Slovenia and Italy are expected this year as well. It is precisely this geographical and meteorological position, combined with quality organization at sea and on land, that is a guarantee of the success of this regatta.", announced the president of the Jugo Sailing Club, Vedran Kabalin and added:

"Of the larger ships, Rijeka's Molo Longo Tuttatrieste and Slovenian Generali and Adriatic Europa have announced their arrival, and a real armada of ships from Istria is expected, followed by the Kvarner zone and a few crews from the southern regions. Navigational sailing in a length of thirty nautical miles will be sailed on the 9th. September as part of the festival, and Sunday is reserved for sailing rod in the Lošinj wave. On land, there will be no shortage of entertainment, from Đani Stipaničev's concert at the Nerezinac loger surrounded by birds and geckos in the night promenade in the Lošinj port, to a maritime evening with a concert, fish delicacies and relaxation a glass of wine... until Sunday's announcement of the winners and distribution of prizes".  

By the way, as part of the festival, and organized by the Jugo Sailing Club, there will also be workshops for the youngest; the basics of sailing theory, getting to know the basics of a ship's hull, educational sailing for children and a workshop on sailor's knots.

The last regatta in the series is the 47th Nerezina regatta of traditional sailing boats, which was held from 1920 to 1942, from 1954 to 1966, and from 2011 to the present day. This regatta also marks the end of the LOSINAVA festival. The meaning of the Nerezin Regatta was explained by a member of the Sports Fishing Society Škarpina from Nerezin, Mario Živković.

"The meaning of this regatta can actually be read in the originality of the traditional regatta, which was born out of the development and growth of shipping on the island. In order for the shipbuilders to convince customers of the value of their relatively expensive sailing ships - loggers, schooners, cutters... they started making small replicas (models) ships. They were regatta sailboats, earlier gucevs, and later pasaras, from which the famous Lošinj regatta pasara originated, and which evolved into the national class L5 in the former Yugoslavia. and refinement in creating the most perfect form that will achieve the best possible results at the regattas - to the pride and promotion of one's own name", said Živković and wished that the festival commemorating the golden age of seafaring, following the example of Ezra Pound's quote, would remind everyone that tradition is a beauty that should be preserved, and not a bunch of chains that bind us.

"Through this festival, we want to bring seafaring as an important segment of Lošinj's history to the guests as well as the population. The rich and interesting life of capable Lošinj sailors, shipbuilders and shipowners made this island, actually unsuitable for the development of shipping, the center of the seafaring of the Eastern Mediterranean in the 19th century. given to the festival is named "LOSINAVA" as a combination of "Lošinj" and "Nave", a type of long-sailing sailing ship. Scenic representations of seamen's send-off, sunset experiences at the Nerezinac camp, workshops and education for adults and children, maritime evenings, concerts, lectures, exhibitions and theater performances... all this awaits you if you visit Lošinj this September, and the gastronomic offer of "Dishes of Lošinj captains" in Lošinj restaurants is indispensable! This year, Piran, the partner city, will join us with its traditional boat "Topo", announced the director of the Tourist Board of the City of Mali Lošinj, Dalibor Cvitkovic.

Cover photo: Sandro Tariba, source: Mali Lošinj Tourist Board