Source: Dalmatinski portal
After two days of ideal sunny weather, Split welcomed exhibitors and visitors to the CROYA fair with somewhat colder and rainy weather, but this did not diminish the enthusiasm or the good atmosphere. The focus of the last day was the announcement of the winners of the competitions that had been held on ships along the West Coast for the past three days.
Among the exhibitors were representatives of the Croatian Association of Private Shipowners, among whom awards were won by members of the Corsario, Son de Mar and Lady Gita yacht fleets. In addition to the aforementioned luxury vessels, Navilux, Love Story, Freedom, Casablanca, Maia and Malallure also demonstrated their quality.
Thirteen ship chefs showed off their culinary skills. Third place went to chef Igor Karađole from the motor yacht Dawo. Last year’s winner, Mateo Rac, chef from the motor yacht Carmen, came in second this time, and the title of best was taken by Luka Vulić from the motor sailer Corsario:
‘Lako means a lot to the entire crew! We gave it our all and obviously won over the jury with our technique and performance,’ Luka told us, adding that this is his first boat, and he has been working on it for 6 years. ‘We are all one big family and this is our joint victory,’ he concluded, not hiding the importance of gastronomy in the overall charter experience of each guest.
The crew members of every ship that visited the CROYA fair know very well that apart from the culinary specialties, the overall impression is also extremely important. The title of the best in the table decoration competition was shared this time by the crew of the motor sailer Son de Mar and the motor sailer Corsario.
The competition in the preparation of flavored water brought to the fore the imagination and innovative approaches of the staff on a total of 12 ships, among which Mara Vicelja from the catamaran Princess Karla, Marina Saskor from the motor sailer Lady Gita stood out, and first place went to Dražena Perkov from the motor yacht Friend’s Boat.
The mixologists came into their own during the Cocktail competition, but the judges were most impressed with the top-notch cocktails and presentation, as they said – one of the most creative cocktails they had ever seen. It was created by Marija Juretić, on the motor yacht Amber One:
‘After the training we received, we became very interested in making cocktails, so now we have our own cocktail menu on our ship, which includes our three signature cocktails. The idea for the competition was to use all the leftovers from breakfast for cocktails, and I’m glad the judges liked it.’
Congratulating the participants on everything they presented at the fair in recent days, the president of the CRO.Y.A. association, Stipe Petričević, emphasized:
‘Although we know that titles of the best often outweigh decisions about choosing and booking a boat, the fact is that all our competitions bring much more than just the title. They are a place to meet, exchange ideas and inspiration, where professionals motivate each other with their work and build a common space for new knowledge and experiences. I thank everyone for their participation and I believe we will see each other again next year.’
This year’s fair was larger than the previous one, with 47 ships and more than 250 charter brokers from Croatia and the world. This confirmed Croatia’s status as the new center of the luxury nautical tourism segment for the second year in a row.
In addition to thanking everyone who supported the organization of the project, the CRO.YA association says: ‘CROYA Charter Show is not just an exhibition of boats – it is a meeting of people, ideas and the future of the charter industry. Here, over the past three days, new partnerships have been created, new ideas have been born and the best of what this industry has to offer has been shown. Thank you to everyone who, with their contribution, raised the value of this event and made it special. We believe that this is just the beginning of an even bigger story and we will see you next year!’
Photo: Dalmatinski portal
