The Sailing Club SPLIT has a long and strong tradition in ILCA (formerly known as Laser) sailing. Back in 1991, Mladen Makjanić won a bronze medal at the Laser World Championship, which was also the first medal in the history of any sport for the Republic of Croatia.
ILCA (previously known as the Laser class) is a popular single-handed dinghy. It is a widely spread class and is highly competitive at a global level. It is the most widespread Olympic class in the world.
Main features of the ILCA class: It is a single-handed dinghy with a simple rig. It comes in three sizes:
It is a One-Design class, meaning all boats and equipment have the same characteristics and are built to the same specifications. This ensures that regattas are won based on skill, not equipment.
The Sailing Club Split is represented in senior sailing by Elena Vorobeva in the ILCA 6 class (formerly Laser Radial) and Lovre and Jere Bakotić in the ILCA 7 class (formerly Laser Standard). Working with them as the main coach on the water is Graja-Tonći Antunović, while Sergej Vorobev and Borna Siriščević assist with conditioning training.
This year, the Sailing Club Split re-established the ILCA 7 class. Some of the children are no longer children, as they have turned 18 and have seriously entered the men’s Olympic class ILCA 7. Currently, Lovre and Jere Bakotić are part of this group. Both have a history of outstanding results from the very beginning of their sailing careers in the ILCA class. Lovre and Jere began winning medals from the ILCA 4 class, and after progressing through ILCA 6 in both junior and senior competitions, they have now reached the Olympic class. Their results in youth competitions, where Lovre often finished in the top 10 at world and European championships, and in the Croatian competition, where he took multiple gold medals, are equally valuable as the fact that today, both Lovre and Jere have grown into true captains and leaders for all the young sailors in our club.
The coach of the Olympic team of JK Split is Tonći Antunović, who, as a coach, has secured participation in seven Olympic Games and is the Croatian sailing coach with the most Olympic appearances.
“I can only say that Elena, Lovre, and Jere are fulfilling 100% of their training, and through their hard work, they have earned the full support of the club. Of course, depending on finances, the realization of the preparation and competition plans for 2025 will also depend. Today’s top-level sports are expensive, and our sailors and I are part of the funding programs of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), which is, in any case, a great help, and we are grateful for that. Elena has a standard preparation plan abroad, training with sailors of her rank first in Vilamoura, and then in Palma, while Lovre and Jere are still ahead of the club in the Kaštela Bay training process. Elena will start her proper competitions in Palma de Mallorca, after which she will participate in a few smaller training regattas, while for Lovre and Jere, we are still waiting for the allocation of funds from the Regular Program of the Croatian Sailing Federation (HJS) in order to set the competition plans for 2025. In any case, Elena needs to complete all the so-called classic regattas of the Sailing Grand Slam for 2025, along with the World and European Championships, while Lovre and Jere will focus on the U21 European and World Championships this year, along with preparation regattas throughout the year. The goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and we are all focused on achieving that goal.”
In sailing development, after graduating from the Optimist class, children transition to junior classes such as ILCA 4 (formerly Laser 4.7) and ILCA 6 (formerly Laser Radial). The first junior class is ILCA 4, where children who have moved on from the Optimist class refine their sailing techniques.
In ILCA 4, young sailors focus on improving their skills and mastering the fundamentals of solo sailing. The class provides the perfect environment for learning more advanced techniques, wind awareness, and boat handling, making it a natural next step after the Optimist class. As they progress, sailors gain experience and confidence, preparing them for the next level in the ILCA 6 class.
In recent years, our club has been on an upward trajectory, and we are proud to have the largest junior sailing base in Croatia. The goal is to introduce sailors to the class and the new boat, master sailing techniques, foster the development of sportsmanship, encourage socializing, instill discipline, and, of course, achieve results.
ILCA has three versions, all based on the same hull, with changes made to the lower part of the mast and the sail. Each class is determined by the size of the sailor. The ILCA 4 class is for the youngest sailors, who, depending on their age or physique, transition from the Optimist class to ILCA. For boys, ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 are developmental classes leading to the Olympic ILCA 7, while for girls, the transition is from ILCA 4 to ILCA 6, which is the Olympic class for women. After the ILCA 6 class, male sailors transition to ILCA 7, the men’s Olympic class.
The club provides exceptional conditions for all sailors, both those aiming for professional sports and those involved in more recreational sailing. The junior classes, under the leadership of Mario Novak, have flourished, and since ILCA is an extremely technical and physically demanding class, the club has its own gym and fitness coach, Borna Siriščević, who gradually develops, educates, and guides the sailors.
We must proudly say that in recent years, JK Split has been at the forefront of world and European sailing and always brings home a significant number of medals at national championships. In 2024, JK Split won 18 medals out of 42 at the Croatian Championships in ILCA classes. These include 6 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze medals. We also have a silver medal at the European Junior Championship in the ILCA 4 class in the under-16 category, achieved by Toma Smirčić in 2024. For several years, we have had winners according to Croatian criteria, with our sailors consistently placing in the top 10 at World and European Championships year after year. This demonstrates systematic and constant development, and of course, results.
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