Mia Prekajski - Sailing Squadron Coordinator

Great news for all sailing enthusiasts is that the international RC44 regatta is scheduled to take place at Porto Montenegro next April, opening a great sailing season. Any comments?

RC 44 is a global regatta and the biggest sailing event that we have ever hosted at the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club (PMYC). The regatta is characterised by professional teams and impressive sailing boats and the whole event is a great way to promote the Bay of Kotor.

The PMYC plays host to many other prestigious regattas, including the European Match Race Tour and Thousand Islands Race. How has Porto Montenegro managed to become one of the largest sailing centres in the world in such a short time since its inception?

The spectacular beauty of the Bay of Kotor, the number of sunny days and our perfectly organised sailing infrastructure, fleet and world-class mobility are the main reasons for the success of the club. These factors have enabled us to create a top sailing destination in a short space of time.

The busy regatta calendar for 2019 has already been created. What sailing activities can we look forward to in the next year?

The sailing calendar begins early in the year, with the opening of the European Match Race Tour scheduled for 22nd March. Having proved ourselves as an excellent host in last year’s tour, we now have the pleasure of hosting only the highest-ranking international competitors. As already mentioned, the significant RC 44 Porto Montenegro Cup will also take place from 10-14 April. What’s more, the EST 105 Bari-Tivat regatta, which last year brought over 60 sailing boats from Italy, will this year overturn that record, we are hopeful, when the regatta returns on 25th April.

The first Montenegrin Women's Duel Sailing is scheduled for 17th May and although there are currently no internationally ranking women’s teams in Montenegro, the event will certainly be something new and fun and will also give the teams added visibility.

The 13th July is reserved as per tradition for the Arsenal Cup - always a gladly attended regatta by local and regional sailors from the Boka and Croatia. The regatta takes its course around the Islands of Perast, ending with a big party.

On 21st July, the PMYC will co-organise and sponsor the Fascinada regatta, a race dedicated to preserving the beautiful tradition of Our Lady of the Rocks island. The Thousand Islands Race will commence in Rijeka on 22nd September when the fleet will make their way towards Tivat. In this year’s regatta, the competitors were followed by a storm that caused disruption to the sailing, so we hope for more favourable winds next year. For July, August and October, we will focus on smaller-scale regattas for local sailors and visitor, for whom we will also host a number of inspiring sailing sessions.

The PMYC has a great relationship with local sailing clubs in the Boka region. What are the future plans?

One of our ambitions is to organise a national league for local sailors, using J70 sailing boats. The aim is to awaken the spirit of competition and inspire local sailors to join the international competition scene at some point in future. In the meantime, we continue to invest in local collaborations.