What drives your sailboat are two opposite forces that come from the same direction. One comes from wind that blows your sail and another from the water that affects your keel from the opposite direction, preventing the boat from moving sideways. You sail and don’t hear the noise of an engine and don’t feel vibrations. The only sound is the one produced by waves breaking on the sides of the boat. You enjoy the beauty of moving without noise.
There is no summer vacation that can match sailing. It simply and softly enters your tourist diary as an unforgettable experience. You enjoy and relax in the beauty of the most gorgeous horizons, the sunrises and sunsets that appear and disappear in depths of the wide sea, swimming in the turquoise sea of coves that can only be reached by boat, whether a power or sail boat, depending on what is available. Every morning you are somewhere else. If you are active and have a good captain (skipper), in one day you can enjoy swimming at various beaches along the seacoast and each one is enchanting with its colours, shapes, peace and clarity.
Sport sailing is another thing. Adrenaline in your veins and the brisk splash of waves is totally the opposite to loafing on the smooth surface of a boat and those leisurely jumps into the sea. You are on your sailboat together with about 10 other members of the team, hurrying to cross the finish line first.
Your facial expression is fixed on sailing, the GSO system and on the other members of your team because you are a part of the regatta, which can sometime include more than 1,000 boats and only one is yours and there can be only one victor. Controlling nature is still, fortunately not only in sailing, the greatest challenge for mankind.
The skill of practicing this sport is learned from the earliest age but, as with bike riding, age is not crucial. One begins in "optimists" for children up to 14 years of age, continues in "laser" and "fin" categories and then on to windsurfing or the "470" races. Only the bravest aficionados reach the Olympic categories or win the title of "cruiser", meaning that they are sufficiently trained to cruise oceans. One of the most distinguished "cruisers" race is the Volvo Ocean Race. This ocean navigation around the world is held every year, from January through July, and also gaining in popularity is individual cruising across the wide, endlessly deep and whimsical oceans of our planet.
Alligators from Serbia
For five years Serbia is present at international and regional regattas quite successfully with its team of Alligators. Twelve most successful contestants from all Serbian clubs with sailboat Alligator 2 (RC 44, class 1 – 12.5 meters) assembled Vojislav Radivojević from Belgrade. So far they have taken part at 48 regattas, 26 times they were the first in their class and 14 times the fastest in the general standing, which means that they managed to sail better even from twice as long and faster boats.
-This year we were second at the regional contest for the Slovenian Cup of the total number of 74 boats in the regatta organized on May 9 on the Izola- Kopar-Izola and Izola-Portorož-Izola routes. On May 16 we were the first in our class and second in the total standing in the prestigious race "Marinada 2009". In the regatta Izola-open sea-Izola 104 sailboats took part and only better than we were was the boat Maxi Shining from Croatia, currently the fastest in the Adriatic. In June this year, in the international regatta Esculapio on waters of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, of 64 boats sailing on the route Lignano-Portorož and the following day on the route Portorož-Liganno we were the first in both races in general standing.
Pointing to these prestigious records of the Alligators Team, Mr. Radivojević mentions also their participation at the Giraglia Rolex Cup 2008 more than 240 nautical miles (500 km) long and sailed without break 32 hours from Saint Tropez via Corsica to Genoa.
- Of 206 sailboats from the whole world that took place in this regatta, with the numerous cups we also rated the 30th, which is, considering the class of our sailboat, a great success. Last season we won the 5th place in the class and the 35th place in general standing in Barcolana. At this, one of the most numerous regattas in the world more than 1900 sailboats took place. | 
