October 25, 2020 - Opening the documentary exhibition "Nautical Culture" of the Sailing Club Delfin at the Tivat Museum and Gallery last night, the mayor of Tivat, Željko Komnenović, emphasized the importance of this sports club for the culture of living in this small Mediterranean city.
"I had the honor and pleasure to open an exhibition in which one of the oldest sports clubs in Tivat, and the first sailing club in Montenegro, sails towards its seventieth birthday," said Komnenović.
"Don't be fooled by the wealth of years, because to everyone who loves this club and respects everything that its members have achieved, the club is still a young man who has a lot more to show to Tivat, Montenegro, and the sports world. Sport sailing combines the innate emotion that seafarers have towards the sea, the beauty of our bay, the excitement brought by the skill of taming the wind, and the very act of competition, in the very best way. And the long tradition of Delfin is connected with the famous Tivat masters, craftsmen, students of the Naval Technical School, and Arsenal workers. They have skillfully created sailboats, Ding, Jola, Suton, and Bokeljka, since 1951. Delfin has brought sailing and a love of the sea to many, many people.
Arhieve photos, YC Delfin
All this explains the people of Tivat's attachment towards Delfin, and so Delfin reciprocates with increasing expansion and more and more significant successes. Delfin sailor Igor Les was 38th in the world in the 2017 Laser Standard class. Two years later, Tivat hosted the 52nd Balkan Sailing Championship, which made Tivat the epicenter of sport sailing. The European Championship was planned for this year in Tivat but was canceled due to obvious reasons. With its successes, Delfin has earned the European Sailing Federation's trust, so Tivat is now on the map of big sailing competitions.
The Municipality of Tivat will continue to support Delfin when it comes to its regular sports activities, significant competitions, and participation therein. It will also bring support when it comes to celebrating the forthcoming major jubilee in 2021. In doing so, the citizens of Tivat and the local government, which represents them, are paying tribute to the club, which presents Tivat in the best possible light, and we hope that time will bring more success and fair wind to our sailors," said Komnenović.
Speaking about the club, the president of Delfin, Frano Tripović, recalled the former mayor of Tivat and professor of geography, the late Tripo Rajčević.
"He had an interesting approach to the lessons - he would show the students a small performance - he would let the water from a fountain flow and fill a sink with water, and theatrically, as if something big was going to happen, he would put his finger in the water. Then he would ask - how am I now connected to the whole world? Then we would imagine how that water travels from Boka through the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, then through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. That kind of good globalism is also related to sailing. Sailing Club Delfin is one of the places in this city that brings Tivat to the world and the world to Tivat. Children come to us at the age of five or six. They begin to get acquainted with the sea, the wind, the weather, before even learning to read or write.
I think that the sailing school is of vital importance, even in the coronavirus year we managed to gather eighty of our children, which, it seems to me, is significant for the environment. In addition to the Sailing School, Delfin also has a competitive professional sailing section, primarily for the Olympic Laser class, where we have top competitors who bring Tivat to the world through sails, sails that represent the whole of Montenegro. There is also a cruising section- a group of enthusiasts, which deals with the organization of competitive and show regattas. I would single out here the Tivat regatta and the Old Year's regatta. In addition to regattas, various events are organized, so the pear in front of the club has become a cult place in our city, where the spirit of tradition that our ancestors left us, is nurtured. You can see this from these old photos. These are priceless moments where people laugh, exchange ideas, and socialize.
I think growing up with sailing and that demystification of nature through the sport is something fundamental. I think it is a privilege to stay at sea during one's formative years and learn about the sea and marine culture in general. We want our sailing school to become a primary naval school, which really it already has."
Tripović pointed out that the club's doors are open for everyone, certainly welcoming both old and younger generations.
The exhibition Nautical Culture at the Museum and Gallery Tivat is open to visitors until Saturday, October 31.
