Cruise Ship Makes Historic Visit to Bakarski Zaljev

The news in Croatian

1. luksuzan
   koji ima puno udobnosti i bogato je uređen, često vrlo skup ↩︎
2. zaljev  (m.)
   dio mora koji duboko ulazi u kopno i okružen je kopnom s više strana ↩︎
3. obala  (f.)
   mjesto gdje se kopno dodiruje s morem, rijekom ili jezerom ↩︎
4. vjetrovit
   u kojem puše jak ili stalan vjetar ↩︎
5. baklja  (f.)
   prijenosno svjetlo s plamenom koje se drži u ruci, često na otvorenom ↩︎
6. mještanin  (m.)
   osoba koja živi u određenom mjestu ili selu ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Who is the captain of the ship, and where is he from?

Question 2: How did the local people show their pride when the ship arrived?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
luksuzan	luxurious
zaljev  (m.)	bay
obala  (f.)	shore / coast
vjetrovit	windy
baklja  (f.)	torch
mještanin  (m.)	local resident / villager

Read the full story

A historic cruise ship visit has taken place in northern Croatia, where the luxury vessel “Spirit of Discovery” became the first cruise ship ever to sail into the Bakarski zaljev (Bay of Bakar). The event drew long lines of residents along the coast from Kraljevica to Bakar, who gathered in cold and windy weather to witness what many locals described as a once‑in‑a‑lifetime moment.

The visit was part of a special voyage called “Captain Franko’s Home Coming Cruise”, designed by the ship’s commander Captain Franko Papić. Papić was born in the small coastal settlement of Bakarac and comes from a long family tradition of seafarers, being a member of the fourth generation of sea captains. Although he has spent around twenty years living and working near the city of Rijeka, he has often spoken of his wish to return to his home bay as captain of a large ship.

The cruise departed from Portsmouth in England on 10 March and reached Bakarski zaljev at around 8:15 in the morning. As it entered the bay, the ship’s horns sounded repeatedly in greeting. The vessel then sailed past Bakarac, Kraljevica, Fortica and Carevo, briefly stopping and turning its bow towards the church of St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, before continuing towards Njivice, Malinska and the island of Krk.

The most emotional point of the visit, according to local reports, was the approach to Bakarac, Captain Papić’s birthplace. Despite strong winter winds, people of all ages gathered on the waterfront – former classmates, retired seafarers, fishermen, families and children. Many used binoculars to observe the ship and to catch a glimpse of their fellow villager on the bridge, where a Croatian flag was flying.

Some residents described the arrival as a “historic moment for Bakarac, the Primorje‑Gorski Kotar County and Croatia”. Witnesses spoke of a powerful sense of pride, and local media noted that people believed the scene was unlikely to be repeated in the same way. Among the crowd, members of the local sports and cultural association RŠK Tunera lit flares along the pier in honour of the captain, while cruise passengers left their cabins to see the unusual ceremony and find out why the horns were sounding so often.

The event also included a special greeting to the nearby town of Bakar and its maritime school, where Papić received his basic nautical education. On the Bakar waterfront, representatives of the City of Bakar, the local city guard, traditional costumed groups and labourers from the village of Praputnjak assembled to welcome the ship. Following an old custom, villagers on the steep wine terraces known as “taka­li” waved white sheets to greet the captain as the cruise ship passed below.

Local association members explained that when Captain Papić first mentioned this idea about ten years ago, it sounded almost impossible, as no cruise ship had ever entered this bay. They pointed out the unusual sight: from the waterline to the top of its highest point, the “Spirit of Discovery” is around 46–47 metres tall, making it roughly ten metres higher than a nearby hill called Gradec. Some residents even took small boats out into the bay to observe the vessel from close range.

The British company Saga Cruises, which owns the ship, allowed Papić to design this itinerary as a mark of appreciation for his ten years of service with the company. He chose ports that had personal and professional significance, with local outlets reporting that entering the port of Rijeka, mooring at the Molo Longo pier and then sailing into Bakarski zaljev represented the high point of his twenty‑year international career at sea.

Before arriving in Bakarski zaljev, the ship had already visited the Rijeka Bay area, anchoring off the popular resort of Opatija and then docking in the city of Rijeka, a traditional maritime centre on the northern Adriatic. From there, the cruise continued towards Krk and other Adriatic destinations as part of a 26‑day journey. For many local observers, the short passage through Bakarski zaljev was less about tourism and more about the connection between a modern cruise industry and a longstanding Croatian seafaring tradition, symbolised by a hometown captain bringing an ocean‑going vessel back to the sheltered bay where his maritime path began.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a language school dedicated to teaching Croatian through a range of online courses. It offers updates, explanations and practical guidance on topics such as how to learn Croatian in a structured and accessible way.