Jedriličarski klub Split
Jedriličarski klub Split (JK Split) is one of Croatia’s best-known sailing clubs, based at the legendary Lučica marina in the Špinut district of Split. The sports harbour offers berths, water and power, a hangar and a clubhouse with canteen and harbour service. Racing focuses on Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7, with cruiser and Melges 24 crews also competing. A large children’s sailing school, youth development and frequent national championships plus Olympic appearances define the programme. Founded in 1950, the club has over 700 members and is a cornerstone of Croatian sailing.
History
Origins date to 1947, when Petar Vicić, Vinko Jelaska and Neven Duplančić founded the maritime section of Narodna tehnika at the Split shipyard. On 18 October 1950 the founding assembly of Jedriličarski klub Split was held, initially as Radničko pomorsko brodarsko društvo “Vicko Krstulović”, with Petar Ozretić as first president and Petar Vicić as secretary. The club first stayed at JK Labud. From 1951, with shipyard support, construction of Lučica in Špinut began; the first sailboats entered on 10 September 1953. In 1953 the club merged with the fishing society “Pagar”. Infrastructure grew: clubhouse in 1962, hangar 1954/1967 and 1969. Since 1988 JK Split has held the concession for sports marina “Split”. On 14 January 1998 the joint Pomorsko športsko društvo Split ended due to legal changes separating sailing and sport fishing. Today the club has over 700 members. Olympic sailors include Karlo Bauman (Helsinki 1952), Ivan and Toni Bulaja in the 470 (Sydney 2000), and Elena Vorobeva in ILCA 6 (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024, 6th place). Mladen Makjanić won Croatia’s first medal under the national flag in Laser/ILCA 7 in 1991. Nina Marušić took Optimist world championship bronze in 2024. The club hosted the Cadet Worlds 1972, Finn Masters Europeans 2014, Laser Europeans 2018, Šljuka Europeans 2021 and Melges 24 Europeans 2024, and preserves intangible cultural heritage of Latin and lateen sailing along the Croatian coast.
Information
Facilities
Lučica sports marina in Špinut with berths, water and power, hangar with crane and workshop, 1962 clubhouse with conference room and canteen, race office and harbour service
Activities
Racing in dinghy classes and cruisers, children’s school and planned adult school, hosting national championships and international regattas, club and Advent events
Youth section
City’s largest children’s sailing school on Optimist; active youth in Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 with national and international results