The First Crossing of The Adriatic Sea

The crew SY Frapa 2006Captain's Focus

Sunrise Smile
The first crossing of the Adriatic Sea

 

This extraordinary all women sailing  team took the SY Frapa for the Regatta purpose in Ancona, seaside city on the Adriatic side of Italy. It was long time ago, in year 2007.

This was first serious training /race accros  the Adriatic for Women’s Frapa Sailing Team, racing sailing, all women team in Croatia. The most precious thing we learned during time was the fact that we inspired young girls to start with sailing in their lives.

Anyhow, our first crossing over the Adriatic Sea was experience that you carry with yourself your whole life.

It was year 2007, somewhere early September. That was period when Women’s Frapa Sailing Team was sailing minimum 10 to 15 regattas per year. Just for your information, we were gathered in 2002. In 2004 we did 24 races in 1 year. What a time!!! 2 races per month. Something to remeber!!!

According to Tihana’s calculation, Skipper and Captain of the Women’s Frapa Sailing Team, leaving Marina Frapa during night  in Rogoznica , croatian coast, we should arrive in Marina Dorica in Ancona Italy  somewhere in sunset next day.

It was all togeher 90 nm, as far as I can remember.

In that time we did not have GPS on our phones, no Navionics application (maybe existed already, but for us in that time was science-fiction). We did have some small handy GPS that was showing us only position in coordinates. I remeber, battery was so short on that device, that we had to plan in advance how many times we will turn it on to check position. Thank god for at least this GPS position locator by numbers, as we managed to avoid night navigation by stars. We knew that in some point we will not be able to see famous lighthouse “Blitvenica” neither Italy. This transfer  was different then any other transfer we did in direction of North or South of Adriatic Coast, where we were able always to follow coastal lighthouses as azimuth points.

Navigation during the night with Bura wind is not such a pleasant feeling. Leaving the port Marina Frapa at 2am in the morning is not the action you dream of. Especially if there is night bura on going. But actually, for navigation without a plotter it was even easier to sail off during the night.

Ancona was exactly in 270° W direction after leaving your stern in back direction of  “Blitvenica” lighthouse. Actually with that strategy it was very easy to follow where is your stern thanks to lighthouse. To arrive in that point of the “Blitvenica” lighthouse, we needed to do only 20 nm during the night. Actually, it was still some hours to sunrise after we managed to be on 270° course for Ancona.

I remeber that special feeling of sunrise, we were not able to see any more any island from Kornati archipelago, no Blitvenica was visible anymore. That was a moment only of sea all around, Bura was turning in Tramontana direction with not a such small wave , but it was somewhere in direction of 100° to the side/stern , so easy to handle and even use the wave to be faster. Our engine was only 20hp, so we used sails as much as we could. For us, very competetive and skilled women sailors that usually use spinnakers and spinnaker  pole, it was very easy to hoist Mainsail and the Jib. Later on we enjoyed full speed with Genova 110% and full mainsail with westerly thermical winds.

Our arrival in Ancona was exactly in last moments of sunset. Waves did their job, so we arrived some angle more south then Marina Dorica, but without the Plotter that was non significant drift off the course.

We were completely happy upon arrival and big attraction as women team coming alone accros the Adriatic, 3 girls with our 36 footer SY Frapa, model Marina Sport. Oh yes, something to remeber about!

 

Tihana Tadinac