The 73rd Vis Regatta (Viška Regata) took place from the 20th to the 22nd of October 2017. 155 yachts with crews from 12 countries participated in this year's regatta from Split to Vis and back. The boat Molo Longo Tutta Trieste from Rijeka took the first place of the Vis regatta. The annual event is organized by Split's sailing club Labud in cooperation with the sailing club from Vis.
From Split to Vis: The first race of the Vis Regatta started delayed
Due to a weak wind, the yachts could not leave for their destination on Vis until 11:30am on Friday, the first day of the Vis Regatta, and therefore started with a delay of over two hours. In addition, the racetrack had to be shortened to 17 nautical miles as sailors could not start as planned from Split-Sustipan port, but had to sail from Livka, a bay on the island of Šolta.
At 13:39, helmsman Rajko Kujundzić was the first to reach the finish mark with his boat "Molo Longo Tutta Trieste" from the sailing club Galeb from Rijeka. Second was the Slovenian Samo Žvan with his boat "Generali Assilina II", which reached the finish line at 13:45, followed by Saša Keković from Montenegro, who arrived with his boat, the "Black Mystery", at 13:53.
On Saturday, 15 boats took part in the "Port Vis" regatta (Regata Luka Vis) and sailed two races in trapezoidal tracks in front of the port of Vis. With a wind of four to ten knots, the sailors enjoyed both the race and the view of the city of Vis.
The fastest boat of the first race was "Gringo 2" of the sailing club Uskok from Zadar, led by skipper Robert Sandalić. However, the final winner was the Dubrovnik crew, that had won the second race and had come second place in the first race.
Head-to-head race near the finish line in Split on the second day of the Vis Regatta
The second round of the Vis Regatta started on Sunday at 10am. With a wind of 10 knots, the participating boats set out from Vis to the city of Split, 28 nautical miles away. After more than three and a half hours, the yachts approached the finish line, with the two opponents, Saša Keković from Herceg Novi and Rajko Kujunzić from Rijeka, approaching it almost at the same height. With a difference of only 70 milliseconds, the "Black Mystery" with captain Saša Keković was the first yacht to cross the finish line at 12:42.
However, Rajko Kujunzić and his yacht "Molo Longo Tutta Trieste" became the winner of the 73rd Vis Regatta. The award ceremony took place at the ACI Marina Split on Sunday evening.