St. Peter's Days in Vrboska – Traditional Boat Regatta, Blessing of the Boats and Seaside Festivities
St. Peter's Days is one of the most recognisable summer events in Vrboska, celebrating the maritime and fishing heritage of the area. It takes place at the end of June, around the feast day of St. Peter on 29th June, with a programme centred on the sea, traditional wooden boats, and their Latin sails.
The highlight for visitors is the traditional boat regatta, during which wooden vessels, reminiscent of those used by fishermen and sailors on Hvar for generations, can be seen once again in the Vrboska harbour. The regatta is traditionally accompanied by a blessing of the boats, seaside gatherings, local food, and evening music.
The exact schedule varies from year to year, but the essence of the event remains the same – the preservation of Vrboska's maritime heritage and several days of community engagement around the harbour.
Traditional Wooden Boats Under Sail Again
For centuries, Vrboska has thrived on the sea, fishing, and boatbuilding.
In times before engines, small wooden boats were propelled by oars and Latin sails, the distinctive triangular sails on a long mast. These vessels were used for fishing, transporting people and goods, and maintaining daily connections between the islands.
During the St. Peter's regatta, these boats once again set sail from the harbour.
This is why the event is not just an ordinary sporting regatta. Its value lies in the fact that these old vessels are not merely preserved as museum pieces but are actively used at sea, just as they were intended.
Traditional Boat Regatta
The regatta is organised by the Vrboska Lantina Association, dedicated to preserving traditional wooden boats and the maritime heritage of Hvar.
Restored wooden boats with Latin sails gather on the water, and the best views can be enjoyed from the Vrboska waterfront and areas around the harbour entrance.
Unlike modern sailing regattas, here, speed is not the only point of interest. Each boat represents a piece of the island's old shipbuilding, fishing traditions, and sailing knowledge passed down through generations.
When several wooden boats unfurl their sails simultaneously in front of Vrboska, it creates a sight rarely seen on an ordinary summer day.
The Lantina Association and the Preservation of Maritime Heritage
A significant part of the credit for preserving this tradition goes to the Lantina Association from Vrboska.
The association brings together enthusiasts of old wooden boats, restoring them, using them in regattas, and passing on knowledge about their construction and sailing.
The name of the association derives from lantina, the long slanted mast that supports the Latin sail.
Thanks to such activities, traditional boats have not disappeared from Vrboska harbour, and they can still be seen under sail today.
Blessing of the Boats
As part of St. Peter's Days, a blessing of the boats is traditionally held.
St. Peter is deeply connected to fishing traditions, making the blessing of vessels a natural part of the programme in a place that has lived off the sea for centuries.
Sailing through the harbour among the old wooden boats during these days gives Vrboska a uniquely authentic atmosphere that is hard to experience at other times of the season.
St. Peter's Church and the History of Vrboska
The feast gains additional significance due to the small Church of St. Peter at the entrance to Vrboska harbour.
The church is mentioned in written records as early as 1331, before Vrboska and Jelsa developed into the settlements we see today, making it one of the oldest ecclesiastical sites in this part of Hvar.
Thus, the name of St. Peter in Vrboska is not only associated with the contemporary festivities but also with the long history of the area around the harbour.
Celebration After the Regatta
Once the competitive part concludes, the programme continues on land.
The announcement of the regatta results is traditionally followed by an evening celebration with food, drink, and music, while the wooden boats remain an important part of the ambience along the waterfront.
Instead of a formal regatta atmosphere, the evening transforms into a relaxed gathering of locals and visitors.
Musical performers and details of the culinary programme change from year to year, so there is no need to tie the event to a specific band or menu in advance.
Balote and Island Socialising
The programme traditionally includes a balote tournament.
Balote is one of the most popular social sports in Dalmatian towns, fitting well with the character of the entire event – it is not just a programme for tourists but a few days in which the local community participates.
This combination is particularly appealing to visitors: boats and sails on the sea, balote on land, and an evening celebration.
When Do St. Peter's Days Take Place?
The feast of St. Peter is 29th June, and the event occurs in the days surrounding this date.
The programme does not have to last the same number of days each year. Sometimes the main regatta and celebration take place over one weekend, while in other years, the programme is spread over several days.
Therefore, it is best to plan for the last week of June and check the current annual schedule before your arrival.
The date of the feast, 29th June, remains constant.
Where is the Best Place to Watch the Regatta?
The easiest option is to stay around the Vrboska waterfront and harbour.
As the boats leave the deep Vrboska bay for the open sea, they can be seen from various parts of the shore. Good perspectives are also available from sections of the waterfront near the harbour entrance.
If you wish to photograph the boats with their sails unfurled, it is worth arriving before the regatta starts and finding a spot with an unobstructed view of the sea.
A Good Event for Families
St. Peter's Days are very suitable for families.
Children are particularly fascinated by the old wooden boats and sails, and the daytime programme does not have the character of a large night party. In the evening, the atmosphere intensifies with music and festivities, but the entire event remains tied to the open space of the waterfront and harbour.
This is one of the events in Vrboska that can easily be enjoyed throughout the day.
Arrival and Parking
During the main programme, it is best to explore the centre of Vrboska on foot.
If you are arriving by car from Jelsa, Stari Grad, or another part of Hvar, it is advisable to leave your vehicle in a public parking area in the wider centre and then continue on foot to the waterfront.
On the day of the regatta and evening celebration, Vrboska attracts more visitors than on a typical June day, so it is worth arriving early.
Why Is It Worth Attending?
St. Peter's Days is one of the few events on Hvar where traditional maritime heritage can be seen in motion, at sea.
Old wooden boats, Latin sails, the blessing of the boats, the regatta, and the evening celebration all naturally belong to Vrboska – a place that has been closely linked to fishing and the sea for centuries.
If you are on Hvar at the end of June, this is one of the best times to experience Vrboska beyond the usual rhythm of beaches and restaurants.
Useful Information
- Event Name: St. Peter's Days / Feast of St. Peter and Traditional Boat Regatta
- Location: Vrboska, Hvar Island
- Period of the Event: end of June
- Feast of St. Peter: 29th June
- Main Event: Traditional Boat Regatta
- Sails: Traditional Latin sails
- Regatta Organisation: Lantina Association Vrboska
- Blessing of the Boats: Traditional part of the programme
- Evening Celebration: Food, drink, socialising, and music
- Balote: Tournament is a traditional part of the programme
- Exact Schedule: Changes from year to year
- Best Viewing Spot: Vrboska waterfront and harbour area
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Parking: Use public parking in the wider centre of Vrboska and continue on foot to the waterfront
- Best For: Enthusiasts of maritime heritage, traditional boats, sailing, photography, and authentic island festivities
- Stay updated here: https://www.facebook.com/Lantina.Vrboska/
St. Peter’s Days / Comments
Looks like you are not signed in!
How would you like to proceed?
Anonymous comment
Login
Register
Your comment was submitted successfully and it will be published after approval by administrator!
General Conditions of Publiciation
General terms and conditions and notes
1. Web page
Web page www.holiday-link.com is an interactive web page where the visitors can put texts, news, photos and video movies regarding the content about tourism, gastronomy, culture and entertainment. Information can be uploaded by the owners, managers, employees, tourist boards, residents and tourists, basically all those who want to introduce the public to the specific content (facilities). The site allows evaluation of the attractiveness of a specific content and it allows writing comments by other visitors. Visitors, who log in and want to publish an information about some content (facility) or promote some tourist service, become users or suppliers and they agree to the general terms and conditions that are stipulated here and are obliged to act in accordance with the general terms and conditions (general conditions do not apply if a person is only visiting the page). A person can become a user by signing up with a user name and a password. The user agrees to put the accurate access data, name and surname and the address. Contents that users publish will be signed with a nickname they choose, while the personal data will be used in accordance with the privacy statement. Persons under the age of thirteen are not allowed to enter any content. General terms can be changed from time to time and if the user or supplier doesn’t agree with the changed general terms and conditions he can remove his content from the site.
2. Content
The page is not the media that publishes editorial program contents but the page where the visitors publish information that serve for the educational and cultural public informing about the touristic, cultural and gastronomic contents (facilities). The goal of the site is to collect the information that will give the tourists, as well as the locals, the insight into touristic, cultural and gastronomic offer of the certain location (city, region and country). Publishing the information about the content (information on facilities) is completely free of charge. Except the touristic content , on these pages, providers of various services in tourism may publish and advertise services they offer. These are, further in the text, referred to as a suppliers. Users and suppliers are solely responsible for the publication of their contents in accordance with the statement of responsibility.
3. User obligations
Each user is obliged to use the website in accordance with the general terms and conditions. By publishing the certain text, comment, photo or video movie on the site, the user guarantees that the published information are true, and that they are not copyrighted by a third party. Each user is morally and materially responsible for the publication of content. It is forbidden to copy texts from other websites. Administrators review entered contents and approve them for publishing. Holiday-Link.com has the right not to show the content it finds inappropriate, untrue or offensive. The owners, managers or employees of the gastronomic facilities (eg. restaurants) have the right to reply to the articles and comments on their own content. The owners have the right to request the removal of the text regarding their facilities if they find it inappropriate. The complaint can be send to complain@holiday-link.com. By publishing the content, the user is giving the exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual transferable, irrevocable and fully sublicensable licence (copyright) to use, reproduce modify, adapt, translate, distribute, publish and publicly display subscribed content to the Holiday-Link.com and its affiliates.
4. The obligations of suppliers of tourist services (accommodation and other services)
Company Holiday-Link.com Ltd acts as advertising website on this website and not as a tour operator or intermediary travel agency. Suppliers of tourist services who register their capacity on this site, pay the commercial advertising model they choose. Interaction, regarding arranging a specific accommodation or other tourist service, is done directly between supplier and visitor. Visitors arrange the accommodation or some other touristic service directly with the suppliers and pay the arranged service to them. Suppliers are responsible for all entered data, images, prices and more. Suppliers guarantee that they have all licences necessary to carry out the services they offer, and to operate in accordance with the laws of their home country. By purchasing certain service, visitor accepts the terms and conditions of a supplier from whom he purchased the service. Holiday-Link will check each supplier before putting its facilities to be visible on the page.
5. Statement of Responsibility
The information, that users and suppliers are entering, can be wrong. Holiday-Link.com does not check the entry of the information, pictures and movies and cannot guarantee their accuracy and it disclaims any responsibility for any incorrect data. If you notice a certain misstatement, inaccuracy or inadequacy in any content, please contact us by e-mail: complain@holiday-link.com The responsibility, for every information about some content, is on the user who entered the information. Suppliers, who advertise touristic services via this website, act as independent entrepreneurs. They enter the data about their services , as well as the pictures and the prices, on their own. Holiday-Link.com does not check entered data and disclaims responsibility regarding the errors that can occur during the entering. Suppliers have to own all the licences regarding the services they offer, and they have to respect the laws and regulations of the home country. Visitor arranges the specific service directly with the supplier, on the basis of data that is entered by a supplier as independent entrepreneur, and he pays it directly to the supplier. Therefore, Holiday-Link.com disclaims responsibility for any problem related to the certain reservation.
6. Privacy Policy
When logging into the website, users and suppliers have to enter some personal data (name and surname, e-mail, address, phone number, etc.). Holiday-Link.com guarantees that this data will be kept secret and will not be forwarded to the third parties. Holiday-Link.com can use an user and a supplier e-mail for sending necessarry informaion and for advertising.
7. Cookie Policy
Cookies are small text files that can be stored into device of a visitor if it is allowed by a web browser. Holiday-Link.com uses cookies to provide a better user experience on the website for the visitors. Also, while visiting Holiday-Link.com, you can automatically collect a certain data.
8. Court Jurisdiction
In case of any dispute, related to the site holiday-link.com, the court in Split and the Croatian law are competent.