FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS 25-YEAR HISTORY, THE WINNING CREW WAS LED BY A FEMALE CAPTAIN
The jubilee 25th edition of this prestigious regatta saw a record-breaking participation of 45 boats with crews from across the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The route traditionally led to Dubrovnik and back, and thanks to favorable winds, the crews completed it very quickly—many finishing each leg in under 24 hours. For most of the time, a bora wind blew at 15–20 knots, with almost no calm periods, allowing boats to sail at speeds of 7 to 9 knots.
The Easter Regatta was won by boat number 45, captained by Ivana Satková. It was the first time in the 25-year history of the race that a crew led by a woman claimed overall victory. Remarkably, this was the crew’s very first time sailing the regatta together. They finished both legs in the top ten—sixth and fourth—and, due to significant shuffling of rankings between the two legs, those finishes were enough to secure the overall win.
Second place went to crew number 2, led by Pavel Jakubec, with finishes of 7th and 6th. Third place went to crew number 27, captained by Zdeněk Pavlíček, who finished 9th and 5th. Fourth place went to Michal Konupčík, winner of the second leg, and sixth to Standa Štrobl, winner of the first leg.
HOW DID THE RACE UNFOLD?
On Saturday, March 29, a ceremonial opening and captain’s briefing took place in the Marina Hramina harbor. The race started near Murter, close to the Prišnjak lighthouse. After the start, the boats sailed a short upwind leg against a strong bora wind. Once they rounded the island of Maslinjak, spinnakers went up, and the fleet headed genakryoffshore south in favorable winds toward Dubrovnik. The stronger gusts caused problems for some crews, leading to plenty of drama. Several boats experienced spinouts (uncontrolled luffs), and some gennakers tore under the strain.
The fleet split into four groups. The leading group, headed by boat number 28 captained by Michal Konupčík, sailed all the way out to open sea north of the island of Žirje. A second group, led by boat number 37 captained by Martin Pospíšil, sailed between the islands of Žirje and Kaprije. Between the islands of Kakan and Kaprije, boat number 10 captained by Jiří Mach led the third group. Along the coastline, boat number 27 captained by Zdeněk Pavlíček took the lead. The boats sailed at speeds of 8 to 9 knots and headed toward the intermediate checkpoint near Vela Luka on the island of Korčula. The first boat to pass the checkpoint, shortly after 7 p.m., was the Slovak crew of Michal Kelemen.
The night proved challenging and tense. Strong gusts alternated with patches of calm, and the lead positions shifted frequently. Some boats rounded the island of Lastovo to port, others headed into the Mljet Channel, and boat number 40 captained by Tomáš Melzer went full throttle. By morning, the first boat to appear at the end of Mljet was number 29, captained by Standa Štrobl, followed by Michal Kelemen’s crew (“Kolotočári”), and third came boat number 26 captained by Petr Kupka. This order remained unchanged until the finish line.
The second leg started on Wednesday, April 2, at exactly 9:00 AM in the waters off Dubrovnik. After a 10-minute gennaker ban, everyone hoisted their sails and sailed at a speed of about 7 knots. Some crews headed into the Mljet Channel, others far out to open sea. Two boats that sailed furthest offshore – boat No. 28 captained by Michal Konupčík and boat No. 6 by David Knop-Kostka – gradually took the lead.
Near Korčula, the usual strategic dilemma arose. Four boats from the leading group opted for the Triska route: No. 24 (capt. Vlastimil Faktor), No. 27 (capt. Zdeněk Pavlíček), No. 30 (capt. Tomáš Straka), and No. 40 (capt. Tomáš Melzer). They were followed by another large group of boats.
The rest, including the front-runners from the first leg – boat No. 4 (Michal Kelemen) and No. 29 (Standa Štrobl) – rounded Korčula from the south. But boat No. 28, captained by Michal Konupčík, led from the start and, with a large gap, reached the finish line first. Since the bora wind lasted all night, with only a short calm right before Murter, they arrived early Thursday morning. Right behind were the boats that had taken the Triska shortcut – the wind held steady there, and their lead after Korčula proved impossible for the offshore group to close. Second place went to boat No. 24 (capt. Vlastimil Faktor), and third to No. 30 (capt. Tomáš Straka).
The battle for the overall victory then unfolded between the remaining boats that had chosen the Triska route. The fastest of these was Ivana Satková’s crew, who finished fourth. Right behind them came Zdeněk Pavlíček’s team, but in the overall results, they were edged out by boat No. 2 (Pavel Jakubec), who finished just seconds behind.
“It was my first time at the Easter Regatta. I pieced the crew together from all over – most didn’t even know each other beforehand – but we clicked instantly. Our secret weapon was the amazing group of people on board, all with different sailing backgrounds. Everyone knew their role, and it was truly incredible. We didn’t use any high-tech gear, just standard weather forecasts. Our strategy was simple: sail the shortest route and cover our backs. We chose the Triska after some discussion, since we were quite far back and it seemed like a good move. Risk paid off,” summed up Ivana Satková, the winning captain.
The Easter Regatta is always a true challenge for all crews – and this year’s 25th anniversary edition was no exception.
Photo: Pavel Nesvadba
You can find more information and interviews with other crews here: www.velikonocniregata.cz
