01.05.2017.
Great success of SAF keelboat sailors
The keelboat sailing team of the Military Academy cadets and members of the Serbian Armed Forces came in as the third team in the category of the Mediterranean and Black Sea countries and as the 10th team in the world at the 33rd World Military Sailing Championship, which is held in Italy from 25th April-2nd May 2017.
The Republic of Serbia was represented by the team including Frigate Captain Srdjan Miljkovic (team leader), Corvette Lieutenant Aleksandar Jovanovic (skipper), Second Lieutenant Nikola Popov and cadets Nikola Radosavljevic, Jelena Paunovic and Uros Kostic.
At a sort of world military sailing championship 18 teams from the whole world took part. Due to the strong storm winds and up to four metres high waves, training and regatta were postponed until more suitable weather conditions were created. In the new competition format it was planned to hold 45 races in two days on Trident 16 vessels, where 6 teams would compete in each race. Due to adverse weather conditions 39 races were carried out, and our crew sailed in 13 races, which were held on the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Livorno, every day from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The team leader, Frigate Captain Miljkovic, did not hide his contentment with the achieved success.
“As the only team coming from the country which does not have the sea, our keelboat sailors attracted special attention in Italy. On several occasions we were even better than the world champions and experienced sailors from Spain”, Miljkovic said.
The team skipper and experienced keelboat sailor from the River Flotilla, Corvette Lieutenant Aleksandar Jovanovic highlights as the special success the fact that they were better than both host teams from Italy, which had the opportunity to sail on the familiar sea surface in their keelboats.
“It is true that we are the third on the Mediterranean and Black Sea, but we are the first in the world among countries which do not have the sea”, Jovanovic proudly and playfully emphasized.
During their stay, our delegation was received by Mayor of Livorno and Dean of the Italian Naval Academy, and in the centre of Livorno the parade of all delegations was held and greeted by numerous citizens and media.
The keelboat sailing team of the Serbian Armed Forces prepared on the Sava and Danube on the keelboats borrowed from Belgrade keelboat sailing clubs.
PHOTOGALLERY
