PHOTOS: Legendary Metković to Ploče boat race held again
- by croatiaweek
- in Entertainment
Neretva Boat Marathon (Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
ZAGREB, 11 Aug (Hina/CW) – A crew from Zagreb, the current title holders, won the 27th Neretva Boat Marathon, raced on Saturday afternoon down a 22.5 kilometre stretch of the river Neretva from the town of Metković to the seaport of Ploče.
This is the third time in a row that the Zagreb crew won the race.
Participating in this year’s race were 29 teams from Croatia and abroad.
The Gusari crew finished the race second and the Slivno crew from Komin third.
The Neretva Boat Marathon is an amateur sporting competition between rowers in traditional boats.
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
Each crew consists of ten rowers, a drummer and a cox. The race is one of the most important tourist events in southern Croatia.
The ancient Neretva pirates used lađa boats to instill fear in the region during the 10th century.
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
Due to their slim design, lađa could navigate all the rivers flowing into the Neretva, including the Neretva River itself. These boats hold a similar cultural importance to the Neretva region as gondolas do to Venice.
To keep the tradition of the lađa alive, a race was established in 1998, stretching from Metković to Ploče. This event has become one of the major tourist attractions in southern Croatia.
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
Attending the race was, among others, President Zoran Milanović, whom the event was held under his auspices.
President Milanović followed the race by traveling on the command ship “Nada” along the Neretva River to Ploče, where the race’s finish line was located.
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
At the finish, silver and bronze medals were awarded, along with the Small Shield for second place. The bronze medals and the Small Shield were presented by the Prefect of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Nikola Dobroslavić, and the Mayor of Ploče, Mišo Krstičević.
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
The silver medals and the Small Shield for second place were awarded by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property, the Prime Minister’s envoy, Branko Bačić, and the Mayor of Metković, Dalibor Milan.
(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/ Dario Andrišek)
