Yacht skippers who are sailing with their boat in the Croatian Kornati and stop at the island of Murter should plan a visit to Betina on the northeast coast of the Dalmatian island. There were once 25 shipyards here that built the typical “holy” Gajeta boat for Betina. The Muzej Betinske Drvene Brodogradnje offers a journey through the more than 270 years of shipbuilding tradition in the small town.
The Kornati Islands, the largest and most densely populated island group in the Croatian Adriatic, are very popular with sports skippers from German-speaking countries. In the northwest of the archipelago, which stretches along the Croatian coast between the cities of Zadar in the north and Šibenik in the south, is the island of Dugi Otok, to the south is Kornat, to the southeast Žirje. To the east are Pašman, Vrgada and Murter.
For many boat crews, the island of Murter (Italian: Isola Morter), located about 40 km southeast of the city of Zadar in the Dalmatia region, is an absolute must for a Kornati cruise. This is understandable, as the 11-kilometer-long, elongated island, which is only about 1.5 kilometers wide on average, is home to some good marinas and attracts visitors with many attractions and good gastronomic offers.
On the southeast coast are the villages of Jezera and Tisno (Italian: Stretto), the latter divided in two by a bridge to the mainland. In the north of the island is the main town of the same name, Murter. Immediately to the east is the town of Betina.
Betina is worth a trip: there are many attractions and a good marina
There is no question that the picturesque island town of Betina, located at the northern entrance to the channel from Murter, has a lot to offer. Founded in the 16th century by settlers fleeing from Vrana, the island town looks back on a rich history. In addition to sacred buildings, ruins testify to a Roman settlement that was here during the times of emperors Nero and Vespasian.
Boat tourists love the 15th-century church of St. Francis – Sv. Frane and the church of St. Mary of Gradina (right on the coast, north of Betina and east of Murter), which even dates back to the 6th century, there are also the stone remains of the once flourishing Roman city of Colentum and the ancient Villa rustica, the old defense tower and the urban, historic center of Betina, located on the hill of Cape Artic.
Few visitors to Betina, however, are aware of the importance that the small town had for shipbuilding in the region for a long time. Along with the island of Korcula, Betina has the longest tradition of shipbuilding in Croatia. In its heyday, there were allegedly more than 25 shipyards in the small island town, where the gajeta boat, which is so typical of Betina, was built.
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There were once 25 boatyards in Betina, and a museum explains the 270-year shipbuilding tradition
A journey through time, covering the town’s 270-year shipbuilding tradition in general – and the gajetas in particular – is offered by the Muzej Betinske Drvene Brodogradnje (Betina Museum of Wooden Bridge Construction) at Vladimira Nazora 7 (open from June to September daily except Sundays, admission 3 euros).
There you can learn that the first shipbuilders who came from Korčula to Betina in the mid-18th century had adapted their boat-building skills to local needs. But why were this boat and its relatives, the slightly larger “Leut” and the slightly smaller “Guc” and “Kaić”, so successful in the waters between Zadar and Šibenik?
The answer is provided by latinskoidro.hr, a support association dedicated to the preservation of this type of ship. Nowhere else in the Adriatic or the Mediterranean are there so many islands packed into such a small area of sea as here, they say, and continue: “If you add to the needs of fishing (…) the need to maintain the land, it is quite obvious that the vast majority of households could not manage without a boat”.
Around 1840, almost every family in Betina had a gajeta, which was mostly not used for fishing.
In many dictionaries, the gajeta is referred to as a fishing boat. However, this is not factually correct. A report from 1840, which is referenced on latinskoidro.hr, states that at that time there were 138 gajetas, which corresponds to one boat for every eight inhabitants. If you take into account the size of families at that time, it can be concluded that almost every family had a gajeta. Interestingly, the boat was “not used for fishing, but rather for transporting livestock, people and goods to the surrounding islands”.
This changed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, when the inhabitants, particularly those from Murter, turned more to the sea and began to gradually adapt their boats to new requirements. From being purely a working boat, which the gajeta originally was (and still is for the most part), people were now looking for solutions for a boat that could meet all the needs of an island household.
In addition to the construction of various new boat types (better suited for fishing: batel, kaić and guc, for fishing and transportation: leut, or only for small-scale fishing and transportation to nearby destinations: lađa and gundula), the original gajeta itself was adapted for multi-purpose use.
The traditional gajeta was designed to be a multipurpose boat
The aim was to create a boat that was “robust and stable enough to transport cargo, not too heavy for sails and oars, and with an open keel to accommodate both donkeys and goats, workers and fishermen, cargo and fat, fish and stones,” describes latinskoidro.hr the requirements for the locals’ dream boat at that time.
Another aspect influenced the definition of the boat – its crew. The average size of seven meters made it possible to be steered by a family crew (on average two members: the head of the family and one other member). Children were also included: they too had to be able to take the oars, operate the sheets and halyards (imbroji) and loosen the mooring lines (brac).
The shipwrights of Betina, who were often laborers, fishermen and sailors all at the same time, created this boat, which was “neither large nor small, neither heavy nor light, and was simultaneously open and closed, and had excellent navigational properties” – the traditional gajeta was born, a multipurpose boat in the truest sense of the word.
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The few surviving gajetas from this period now usually have wooden superstructures with cabins and canopies and are equipped with engines; the once wood-colored, clear-lacquered surfaces now often shine in white. Until recently, the original gajetas, with their large Latin sails proudly stretched upwards, could only be seen in yellowed, old photos.
The name of the boat had become nothing more than an empty phrase – “the sacred boat,” writes latinskoidro.hr. In short, the original, traditional sailing gajeta and the special boatbuilding craft associated with it were in danger of being completely forgotten.
A society from Betina has dedicated itself to the preservation of the gajetas and the associated cultural and artisanal heritage.
A support association founded in Betina specifically for the preservation of the gajetas wants to counteract this: the boat was “after God, the Virgin Mary and the patron saints the second most important thing for the people of that time,” the members of the association are certain; “people worshiped the boat, made sacrifices for it and relied on the gajeta”. All family and economic relationships, history and even urban planning, as well as art and culture, were built around the boat.
The basic idea of the Latinsko Idro association is therefore, in its own words, that the maritime heritage and uniqueness of the gajetas should be preserved and maintained by future generations. That is why a boat was built especially for them as a “symbolic act of trust in future generations” – a traditional gajeta in the old style, 6.66 m long and 2.50 m wide, called the Kurnatarica.
The new “generational Kurnatarica” is propelled by a lateen sail, as in the past – and can also be rowed if necessary.
As in the past, the Kurnatarica is propelled by a lateen sail and oars; the only concession to safety on board is a small motor. The boat was built by Ljubomir Ante Fržop, a well-known boat builder from Betina. The idea bore fruit: in the meantime, this boat has already taken part in many regattas, educational trips for children and maritime festivals in Venice, Brest, Morbihan and Sete.
The focus has always been on “educating children, training future shipwrights and teaching the younger generations how to maintain, equip and operate a boat”.
And the association even created its own sailing regatta for the traditional wooden sailing boats, the Gajeta Cup. The sailing instructions for the regatta state: “Gajetas are neither designed nor constructed as speedboats. This boat was built as a multipurpose boat for the administration of overseas estates, which essentially means transporting goods to the home port.” It is a “heavy-duty boat that was not (originally) intended for competition”.
For this reason, all participants are asked to take into account the type-related maneuvering disadvantages of these boats, which means: to sail particularly carefully and with foresight in order to avoid collisions. The integrity of the boats is the top priority in this regatta, but that does not mean that the racing is not ambitious.
A special feature of the Gajeta regattas, which have been running regularly for several years, is that “when turning towards the wind (i.e. when tacking; editor’s note), the use of rudders (or rowing) is permitted” until “the boat (re)gains speed”, after which the rudders must be removed immediately, otherwise there is a risk of disqualification.
Additional information:
latinskoidro.hr, contact: Jakov Lovric, tel. 385 98 336 851, latinskoidro1998@gmail.com. Spectators are welcome: the regatta takes place on the first Sunday after the Latinskoidro regatta in the afternoon, the next date is September 29, 2024. The regatta takes place in front of Murter in the bay of Hramina.