Murter - September 2007
1. Wide of Murter and other islands
2. Wide the port of Murter
3. Wide Murter square
4. Wide wooden boats in the port
5. Wide women in courtyard drinking coffee and knitting
6. Close up woman spinning wool
7. Medium Granny and grand-daughter
8. Medium three women knitting
9. SOUNDBITE: (Croatian) Gordana Simat (age 65)
" Once while we were putting up our house in the bay of Opat, in Kornati, I loaded the boat with sand for the workmen and took on the voyage alone. There was a lot of wind at sea and the water started to flood the boat. I lined up the sacks at the edge of the deck so that I could get rid off them easily. That was my first time, navigating all alone."
10. Close up grapes and knitting hands
11. Pan shot women at the table
12. Close up figs
13. SOUNDBITE: (Croatian) Gordana Simat (age 65)
(On the rivalry with her late husband)
" We had such beautiful times together, we sang like an orchestra! But, if I caught more squid, he would cast his net and yell: "That's enough! Let's go home!"
14. Wide women leaving the courtyard
15. Wide women boarding yacht
16. Pan women casting off
17. Medium women opening the sail
18. Pan shot putting oars in motion
19. Medium shot from the boat, women rowing out of the port
20. Pan shot from the boat
21. Close up, little girl
22. SOUNDBITE: (Croatian) Marija Jerat (age 70)
(On a stormy occasion)
"The storm was so wild one could not see anything but sea and sky; there were few men and only two of us women aboard. They threw up, and I found it somewhat funny that the men would get so frightened. I cannot say I was cool, but I wasn't that scared either."
23. Pan unwrapping the sail
24. Close up unwrapping the sail
25. Pan opening the sail
26. Medium securing the sail
27. Wide shot from another boat: women sailing
28. Wide shot traditional boats in the port
29. Medium Zeljko Jerat tying a line
30. Close up young assistant
31. Wide Zeljko Jerat's wooden boat
32. Close up tying a knot
33. Medium shot pulling lines
34. Close up pulling lines
35. SOUNDBITE: (Croatian) Zeljko Jerat, the head of the Lateen Sail Club
"When boys and girls would turn ten or twelve, they were considered strong enough to help out. On this rocky land a life was once very, very hard."
36. Close up women positioning the sail (during sailing)
37. Close up another woman tying a line (during sailing)
38. Close up the bow cutting the sea surface
39. Medium shot from another boat
40. Wide shot from another boat: the boat with the grannies leaving
LEAD IN :
October 1, 2007 is the International Day of Older Persons.
One group of Croatian grandmothers may have found the secret to staying young and active... sailing.
The island of Murter is one of thousands of small islands off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.
Croatia boasts 1778 kilometres (1103 miles) of coastline, 5790 kilometres (3590 miles) if you count the islands.
For the people of Murter the sea is the principal mode of transport, without boats they are isolated.
The islanders celebrate their maritime legacy with several regattas throughout the year called "Latinsko idro" Regatta - the regatta of traditional Lateen sail.
This group of elderly ladies are spending the afternoon spinning wool and chatting about the upcomming regatta on September 29, 2007, in which they will participate.
They may look like unlikely sailors, but they all have been manning a lateen sail boat, also called gaettas, since girlhood.
Many families had farming land on surrounding islands and needed the gaettas to tend their crops and livestock.
When the weather was bad, it was all hands on deck.
Father at the helm, mother at the sail, children at oars.
Now in her sixties Gordana Simat remembers the first time she sailed alone.
Gordana says some of her fondest memories of her deceased husband are when they were sailing, but says that he did not like her to catch more fish than him.
Marija Jerat (age 70) remembers one storm, which was so wild that the men on board were ill.
Today for the day to day journeys, boats with engines have replaced sails.
So in order to keep their traditional sailing methods alive, some of the islands started the Lateen Sail Club.
Each member owns at least one old gaetta (sail boat).
Zeljko Jerat, the head of the Lateen Sail Club, says that life on the islands was hard in the past.
They regularly attend numerous Croatian and European traditional boats regattas, and at the end of autumn they organise their own race on St. Michael day, September 29, 2007.
All eyes will once again be on the 'Grannies' as they take to the sail and the oars.
Keyword-wacky
