Source: Dalmacija danas
While the port of Split is being transformed into a huge construction site due to works worth 30 million euros, the strongest small fleet in the Mediterranean is being “sheltered” on the West Coast. We were in the heart of the hustle and bustle, among the people who, under the Croatian flag, guard the pride of the Principality of Poljica and prove why they are untouchable in nautical terms.
Croatia likes to adorn itself with the title of nautical champion at world fairs, but that title is not earned in offices, but on the decks of Kriljan cruise ships. These modern heirs of the Poljica pirates and sailors are today a pillar of Croatian tourism – their ships are built in our shipyards, our people sail on them, and the tradition is passed down from generation to generation.
But the beginning of May brought a new “endurance test.” While the Split City Port is being dug and built, and St. Peter’s Pier is slowly gaining its new 5,300 square meters, the Kriljan fleet found itself faced with a challenge: where to take the guests and how to maintain smooth sailing?
West coast – discipline like a string
We stopped by the West Coast, and there – a bustle like in the middle of August. Although Labor Day has just passed on the calendar, the white beauties in two rows, the “landanas”, stand still. Eight boats, perfectly lined up, await their passengers. Discipline is visible on every rope.
Looking for someone to talk to, we come across the experienced captain Kalc. With his distinctive Dalmatian smile, he immediately directs us to the younger ones:
“Don’t ask me, I’m your Vezika on the balun, ask Antonio, the grandson of the late Krakić – he’s your parlour!”
So Antonio Vuković, captain of the ship “Kolumbo” and member of the Association of Small Private Shipowners, stands in front of the microphone.
“We are pleased that we have at least some possibility of working in this extraordinary situation. These two locations have been given to us, which means that we can work a shift for eight to nine ships here daily. The agencies received instructions on time and so far everything is going according to plan,” explains Vuković.
Read more on Dalmacija danas!
