Krk Sails brought together the sea, heritage and sport in the year of JK Plav's major anniversary
From 13 to 15 August 2026, the town of Krk in the northern Adriatic was once again marked by traditional boats, sailing, maritime skills and music. The central part of the 29th Krk Sails combined regatta competition with programmes that present maritime heritage not as a static part of the past, but as knowledge passed on through sailing, rowing, rope-making, work with children and public events in the town harbour. According to an announcement by the City of Krk dated 16 August, this year's event gained additional symbolic significance because of the 150th anniversary of Sailing Club Plav, the club from which the initiative for Krk Sails also originated. The main weekend ended with a regatta of traditional boats and a concert by the female klapa Luka, but the programme is not yet over: two regattas have been announced for 19 and 22 August.
Krk Sails has been held since 1998, and the Krk Tourist Board states that it was created thanks to the enthusiasm and vision of the members of JK Plav. Over almost three decades, the event has grown from a regatta into a multi-day programme bringing together sailors, families, visitors, musicians and custodians of local maritime knowledge. This combination was also clearly visible in the 2026 edition, in which sporting activities were intertwined with exhibitions, lectures and workshops. For visitors planning to attend the remaining regattas, information about accommodation in the town of Krk may be useful when organising their stay.
One hundred and fifty years of a club that marked the history of organised sailing
The central anniversary of this year's programme is linked to Sailing Club Plav. The Croatian Association of Technical Culture states that the first Croatian sailing club was founded in Krk on 29 May 1876, and that the name Plav comes from an old Croatian term for a ship that was used from the 14th to the 19th century. The same source states that in the decades after its foundation, the club went through periods of interruption and renewal, that the 1920s and 1930s were particularly important because of the acquisition and construction of racing sailboats and the organisation of regattas, and that the club was re-established in 1975 and has operated continuously ever since.
This history provides additional context for the organisers' claim that Krk Sails is not merely a summer event, but a continuation of the town's long connection with organised sailing. In their announcements for 2026, the City of Krk and the Tourist Board describe Plav as the oldest sailing club on the Adriatic, while the Croatian Association of Technical Culture links its foundation to the beginnings of organised Croatian sailing sport. The anniversary programme was therefore also focused on the people who, over several generations, maintained the club's tradition, developed sailing skills and passed their experience on to younger members.
The transfer of knowledge is precisely one of the most important threads running through the entire event. A traditional boat at Krk Sails is not merely an exhibit: it sails, competes, enters the harbour before an audience and becomes a space in which manoeuvres, working with the wind and crew responsibility are learned. Such an approach to heritage allows historic vessels to remain part of contemporary life rather than merely objects of documentation. This is particularly visible in the work with children and participants in the JK Plav sailing school, who also took part in part of this year's programme.
Day one: seafaring skills, sailing and an anniversary exhibition
The programme began on 13 August at the Interpretation Centre of the Maritime Heritage of the Island of Krk with a workshop and lecture on seafaring skills. The Krk Tourist Board states that the centre presents the island's long maritime tradition through contemporary interpretation, and its inclusion in Krk Sails provides an educational framework for the practical activities in the harbour. The workshop was followed by educational and demonstration sailing for children and visitors on traditional boats, moving the programme from an indoor space directly onto the sea.
The evening section of the first day had a distinctly anniversary character. The JK Plav flag was raised at Vela placa, accompanied by a promenade performance by the Krk Town Band, while an open-air exhibition dedicated to the club's 150 years was opened on the St Bernardin Promenade. According to a report by Novi list, the exhibition presented photographs from the club's history, while club veteran Berislav Manestar gave a lecture at the Town Hall on the development of Plav and its role in sailing in Krk. In its official review, the City of Krk emphasised that the exhibition recalls generations of people who nurtured sailing and a relationship with the sea.
According to the latest announcement by the City of Krk, the exhibition on the St Bernardin Promenade remains open until 22 August, that is, until the end of this year's edition of the event. In this way, the anniversary story remains present between the main weekend and the final regattas. Visitors can thus connect what they see on the water with the historical context of the club, the boats and the people who shaped Krk's sailing tradition.
Rowing, ropes and traditional boats as a living school of seamanship
The second day, 14 August, was dedicated to skills that for centuries formed an integral part of life by the sea. A demonstration rowing workshop was held in Krk harbour, while participants in the JK Plav sailing school presented the Boat Slalom, a rowing race intended to demonstrate agility and crew coordination. During the afternoon, visitors were able to view an exhibition of traditional boats, while a rope-making workshop was held on the waterfront.
Such activities have a broader meaning than demonstration alone. The making and use of ropes, knowledge of knots, rowing and handling smaller vessels are part of practical maritime culture that was historically passed down through experience. In the contemporary context, workshops and public demonstrations make it possible for this knowledge to remain understandable and accessible to generations that no longer encounter it in everyday life. Krk Sails thus combines cultural interpretation and practice, which is in line with the approach of projects aimed at preserving Adriatic maritime heritage.
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County states that the ARCA ADRIATICA project, launched within the INTERREG Italy - Croatia programme, was aimed at protecting, promoting and enhancing the tourism value of Adriatic maritime heritage. Its objective was to link the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage with sustainable tourism products and cross-border cooperation. The organisers of Krk Sails state that the event programme builds on the legacy of that project, placing local activities such as workshops, exhibitions and regattas within a broader Adriatic context.
The Night Dance of Boats turned Krk harbour into a stage on the water
One of the most recognisable moments of Krk Sails was once again the Night Dance of Boats. The City of Krk describes it as a demonstration of night sailing that is traditionally held on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, while Novi list reported that this year's sailing was accompanied by musical themes from well-known films. For the first time, the programme also included a presenter who introduced the boats to the audience in Croatian and English as they individually entered the harbour and passed in front of the spectators.
According to the Novi list report, vessels from towns in Istria and Kvarner and from the Kvarner islands took part in the night programme. The audience could see different types of traditional vessels, including the pasara, guc, batana, leut, gajeta and Krk bragoc, as well as a traditional Venetian boat. Such diversity demonstrates that the concept of maritime heritage does not refer to only one type of boat, but to an entire range of local solutions developed according to the needs of fishing, transport and everyday life by the sea.
The programme gains special value from the fact that many vessels have their own family stories. Novi list states that the audience was introduced to their past, builders and owners, as well as the ways in which the boats served families, with some of them being passed down from generation to generation for years. In this way, the night programme becomes more than a visual spectacle: every vessel acquires an identity and a place in collective memory. Klapa Cambi performed after the Night Dance of Boats, bringing the second day to a close with a combination of sailing and musical tradition.
The traditional boat regatta brought together 26 crews
The central sporting event was held on 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption. According to the City of Krk, the start of the 29th traditional boat regatta was marked by the final stroke of the noon bell from the bell tower of Krk Cathedral, one of the distinctive features of this event. Novi list reported that 26 boats took part in the regatta and that the crews represented different generations, from young sailors to experienced members of the community.
According to the Novi list report, the weather conditions that day enabled high-quality sailing and gave the crews an opportunity to demonstrate their skill in handling traditional vessels. Among the participants were also children from JK Plav, who sailed on the boats Bodul and Bodulka. The club's secretary and coach Ila Rodman emphasised to Novi list that the club strives to regularly give its youngest members the opportunity to participate in traditional boat regattas, thereby passing on the experience of competition and handling such vessels directly through practice.
After the regatta, the programme continued with Bodul and Bodulka being hauled out at Škverić and an exhibition of traditional boats in Krk harbour, as stated in the official programme of the Tourist Board. The evening programme concluded with a concert by the female klapa Luka. This marked the end of the main three-day section of Krk Sails, but not of the entire event.
The event continues on 19 and 22 August
As of 17 August 2026, two sporting events still remained in the Krk Sails programme. On Wednesday, 19 August at 7 p.m., the Veterans' Regatta for senior sailors in the Optimist class has been announced. Novi list states that the regatta is intended for veterans over the age of 50, giving the programme an almost symbolic range: from children who are only beginning to acquire sailing skills to experienced sailors returning to the small Optimist class.
The finale is scheduled for Saturday, 22 August at 12 noon, when the OPEN Cruiser Regatta "Krk Sails 2026" is due to be held according to the OPEN system. In its current announcement, the City of Krk states that this regatta will conclude this year's edition of the event. Since these events are still to take place, their final course and results were not yet known as of 17 August.
This year's edition shows how Krk Sails operates on several levels simultaneously. It is a sporting competition, a summer cultural event and a platform for preserving knowledge belonging to the maritime way of life. At the same time, the 150th anniversary of JK Plav is a reminder that the current programme rests on a tradition much older than the event itself. In the connection between 1876, when the club was founded, 1998, when Krk Sails was first held, and today's workshops and regattas lies the most important message of this year's edition: maritime heritage remains alive when it is used, learned, passed on and returned to the sea.
The programme is made possible by Sailing Club Plav, the Krk Tourist Board and the City of Krk, with support from the Kvarner Tourist Board and Krk Shipyard, while the original programme also lists support from the Krk County Port Authority. The organisers also connect the event with the legacy of the ARCA ADRIATICA project, aimed at preserving and enhancing the value of Adriatic maritime heritage. In the year of the major anniversary, such institutional and local cooperation made it possible to present the club's history not only through archival materials, but also through the activity from which it emerged - sailing.
Sources:
- City of Krk - official review of the 29th Krk Sails, the Night Dance of Boats and the continuation of the programme on 19 and 22 August (link)
- Krk Tourist Board - official programme of the 29th Krk Sails 2026 and information on organisers and activities (link)
- Croatian Association of Technical Culture - history of Sailing Club Plav, its founding date and development of the club (link)
- Primorje-Gorski Kotar County - information on the ARCA ADRIATICA project and its objectives in protecting Adriatic maritime heritage (link)
- Novi list - report on the Night Dance of Boats, vessel types, 26 regatta participants and the participation of young sailors (link)