1st place achieved by the Galeb sailboat at the 56th Barcolana Classic Regatta for the SIAD Trophy

The Galeb’s crew, comprising Jani Matticca (helmsman), Aleš Skrgat, Marko Rolih, and Gregor Žitko, clinched a new major victory in competitive sailing for the Maritime Museum Piran on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.

 

On Saturday, 12 October 2024, the Galeb sailboat reached first place within its sailing class at the Barcolana Classic Regatta for the SIAD Trophy. The regatta with competing vintage wooden sailboats, traditionally takes place in the Gulf of Trieste a day before the major Barcolana (Barkovljanka) Regatta under the auspices of the prominent Trieste Sailing Club Adriaco. At the regatta, which included 107 participating sailboats this year, the Galeb finished sixth, and first in its own class (sailboats between 9.40 and 10.25 m in length).

 

In 1994, the museum sailboat - Cutter M6 which was built in Trogir, Croatia, in 1936 – was donated to the Maritime Museum Piran by Pia and Pino Mlakar. The sailboat was restored for the second time at the beginning of 2022 at the Alto Adriatico Custom Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, under the guidance of shipbuilding masters Odil Simonit and Paolo Skabar. After ceremonially launched on 23 June 2022, the Galeb took part at a number of regattas and in September 2024 won first place at the Šavrinska Regatta for the Mirko Bogić Cup, and third places three times, specifically in May 2023 and 2024 at the Piran Vintage Boats Regatta and in September 2024 at the Izola Regatta of Vintage Boats.

 

In early 2024, the Maritime Museum Piran entrusted, within the framework of the Sail Driven Museum project, the Galeb’s maintenance and participation at suitable regattas to Jani Matticca, who as the Galeb’s helmsman and in agreement with the Museum selected the crew.

 

The Galeb’s restoration was financed mostly by the Maritime Museum Piran, with additional support kindly offered by the Slovenian Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Piran and a couple of sponsors from the sphere of port forwarding agents. The Galeb sailboat is additionally equipped with an electric outboard motor which, however, is used almost exclusively for manoeuvring in the harbour and marinas or mooring places.

 

The Maritime Museum Piran is very proud of the excellence of the Galeb sailboat, the results achieved by this sailboat and its crew, and we believe that Pia and Pino Mlakar would be as delighted as we are.