Not even the overcast sky could diminish seeing more than a hundred sailboats sail out at the same time. Music, laughter and cheers could be heard from the boats as the peace fleet “Mirno more” sails out of Marina Kaštel in Dalmatia, Croatia.

“Mirno more” is a project organised by the Austrian non-profit organisation of the same name. It brings together young people of different social and economic backgrounds from more than 20 countries. They participate in a sailing trip with the goal of promoting tolerance and inclusion. The project also aims for the participants to improve their social skills and teamwork.

Christian Winkler founded the fleet in 1994. He named the organisation after a traditional Dalmatian greeting among sailors “Mirno more!”, in literal translation “Calm sea”. It rapidly grew from 3 ships the first year to 112 ships in 2019, the year marking the 25^th anniversary of the project.

The project always lasts seven days, so this year the participants spent the first few days sailing, visiting various Croatian islands, getting to know their boat mates and learning the basics of sailing from their skippers.

On the forth day, the fleet gathered in marina Kaštel Gomilica where they stayed docked for two days, are reserved for workshop in the marina, including their annual panel: Peace Talk. This year’s topic was climate change, with greater focus being put on the Amazon forest fires. The participants simulated a news conference, playing representatives of various interest groups (politicians, business owners, scientists and the general public).

The sixth day of the project started with the central activity of the whole project. 112 ships sailed out at the same time. Starting at 9 am, it took hours for all the ships to exit the marina. The ships sailed together for a short time until they separated into smaller groups in which they arrived. The participants returned the boats into their marinas and returned home on Saturday. They took home newly forged friendships, which after spending a week living together, are sure to last long after they step off the boat deck.

You can read more about Mirno More on the website:

http://www.mirnomore.org/

Written by Tija Vrček