Ivica Kostelić, ACI ambassador and last year’s Mediterranean champion, celebrated the Yachts Croatia After Show Party powered by ACI No.1 and shared his passion for the sea and sailing with the audience
The 26th Biograd Boat Show, the largest nautical fair in this part of Europe to date, has officially ended in Biograd. The third day of this year’s edition of the Biograd fair was special for all nautical enthusiasts – in cooperation with ACI and Yachts Croatia magazine, the Yachts Croatia After Show Party powered by ACI No.1 was held, at which Ivica Kostelić was a special guest. The celebrated Croatian ski Olympian, and today a top sailor and ACI Ambassador, in a conversation with fellow sailors and friends of the national nautical chain, as well as numerous lovers of the sea and sailing, shared his knowledge, experiences and impressions from his increasingly numerous maritime adventures.
Top athletes are the best promoters of both ACI and the entire brand of the Republic of Croatia. Visitors to this recognizable nautical fair had the opportunity to meet Ivica Kostelić, a sports professional who, through his dedication and perseverance, has achieved great skiing results, as well as a number of impressive results in his sailing career so far. The highlight of that career is certainly last year’s victory in the Mediterranean Championship on the sailboat Optimus Prime, symbolically named ACI40, with which he pushed his own boundaries throughout the season, as well as the boundaries of the entire sport. A special highlight of this year’s edition of one of the most recognizable nautical fairs not only in Croatia, but also in the region, was given by Ivica Kostelić, who delighted the audience by sharing with them his rich sailing experience, unique challenges at regattas, and his passion for the sea, which has become an indispensable part of his life. Emphasizing how much sailing means to him, Kostelić recounted his experiences and showed how much he shares in common with all lovers of the nautical world, whom ACI brings together through its marinas and the services it provides. However, the central moment of the evening was the screening of his video from the French Massilia Cup Offshore regatta, in which the celebrated Croatian athlete took the audience through the emotions, efforts and challenges that this popular offshore regatta brings with it, which is sailed in two stages – from Marseille to Macinaggio and back. On that occasion, Kostelić conveyed to those interested all the excitement that a sailor experiences in a regatta known for its changeable weather conditions, which were not lacking this time either. The After Show Party perfectly concluded the already rich fair day in Biograd, with, in addition to socializing with Ivica Kostelić, guests had the opportunity to enjoy a carefully designed menu, selected wines and sparkling wines, and a musical program by DJ Matthew Bea.
A total of 5 different fairs magnified the biggest Biograd Boat Show so far
Biograd Boat Show, as the largest nautical fair in this part of Europe, gathered more than 450 exhibitors and 500 vessels this year and presented 25 premiere boats. The special feature of this year’s fair is that after 25 years of being held at the same location, due to the exceptional growth in the interest of exhibitors and partners, the fair was extended to the City Port of Biograd. With this year’s edition, the five-day festival of world and European nautical has grown to “5 fairs in one”, because it has united in one place the exhibition fair of boats and equipment, congress, charter and business to business, adding to it a new content – the fair of luxury travel and adventure tourism. Thus, in addition to the 26th Biograd Boat Show, the 8th HGK Croatian Nautical Days, the 6th Croatia Charter Expo, the 9th Biograd B2B and the 1st Croatia Luxury and Adventure Travel Show were also held.
More than 40 years of tradition of dedication to the sea, community and sportsmanship
This year’s edition of the Biograd Boat Show also contributed to bringing together the nautical community and promoting the values advocated by one of the crucial branches of domestic tourism. ACI once again gave its support through the promotion of its marinas, nautical services, but also the indispensable ACI No.1 magazine and loyal ambassadors with whom it sails through their sporting challenges. Namely, ACI’s dedication to promoting sporting and nautical values is reflected in the support it provides to top athletes, clubs, associations and organizations. Through the Biograd nautical party, ACI and Ivica Kostelić not only presented top maritime experiences to nautical enthusiasts, but also confirmed their commitment to sporting values, togetherness and the invaluable experience that a stay at sea brings.
Photos: Boris Kačan, Mlađan Marušić, ACI
