A wooden boat is a symbol of Dalmatia. Traditional boats like gajeta, leut or guc were one of the most precious family possessions. The boat was used not only for fishing, but also for transportation of people, domestic animals, crops… Before the middle of 20th century, the only way to drive a boat was by sailing or by paddling.
Gajeta – a famous Dalmatian boat
We already wrote an article regarding history of this Dalmatian boat. In Kornati archipelago gajeta (circa 7 m) was the most popular among traditional boats. It was big enough to transport anything from cattle to crops, but small enough so the family members could manage the boat by themselves. Usually, it took only two persons to manage it. In the old days, many women used to sail these boats successfully. Due to its flexibility, gajeta was used also as a fishing boat.
On the other hand, leut was a bigger boat (8-15 m), which meant more crew on-board. Generally, only richer families could afford this type of boat.
Small ports in Dalmatia
In order to keep the boats safe, people had to build mooring places. Small sheltered harbour is called lučica or mandrač in Dalmatia (mandracchio in Italian). They serve for the mooring of small boats and fishing vessels. There are numerous small ports in Dalmatia and each one is different, depending on the local winds, type of coastline, materials used for building it…
Take a look at these lovely aerial photos taken by Boris Kačan of some small Dalmatian harbours.
