SAVING WHAT MATTERS
Located in the fishing village of Sumartin on the island of Brac, Croatia, the organization Maritima Educare (aka Maritime Education Association or MEA) exists to help support and enhance both the traditional maritime heritage and the contemporary maritime culture of the local community.
To accomplish this, Maritima Educare is currently engaged in the restoration of Croatian wooden BOAT PROJECTS, youth and young adult maritime education PROGRAMS, and development of maritime festival EXHIBITS.
MISSION
VISION
2020 Officers
President
Ivo Mardešić
Vice President
A. Michael Vlahovich
Secretary Treasurer
Lovorka Šimunec
BOAT PROJECTS
Wooden boats are a significant piece of Croatia’s tangible cultural heritage. They are physical objects that were designed, built, maintained and operated by community members over the years. Maritima Educare believes that each Croatian wooden boat is worth protecting, and their story worth telling for generations to come.
Mala Barka
Maritima Educare’s skill training vessel, Mala Barka, is currently undergoing restoration. A former seine skiff for a Sumartin based sardine fishing boat, Mala Barka fell into disrepair and was gifted to MEA. The restoration offers traditional wooden boat building training for MEA members and other interested participants. When complete, Mala Barka will be used for at-sea education programming.
PROGRAMS
“It’s not about the boats, it’s about the people.” – A. Michael Vlahovich, Program Manager
Although passionate about wooden boats, Maritima Educare programs are designed to benefit the people involved. Passing on skills, knowledge and values for the benefit of others is at the heart of all MEA educational programming.
Experiential Learning
Maritima Educare’s programs attracts young adults, like the EU volunteers pictured below, because of the hands-on boat building activities and emphasis on experiential learning. In the future, the organization plans to offer at-sea adventures, team building activities, sail training programs and heritage tourism initiatives. The opportunity to work one-on-one with skilled maritime masters will continue to be a hallmark of all MEA programs.
Some potential program partners are like-minded non-profits, national and regional government agencies, local municipalities, international foundations, schools, universities and for-profit corporations that are supportive of MEA’s public benefit programming.
EXHIBITS
Kalafat & Tool Exhibit
CONTACT
Maritima Educare
Ante Kuzmanića 8
Sumartin, Brač
[email protected]
FOLLOW
WELCOME TO
Maritima Educare
SAVING WHAT MATTERS
SAVING WHAT MATTERS
Located in the fishing village of Sumartin on the island of Brac, Croatia, the organization Maritima Educare (aka Maritime Education Association or MEA) exists to help support and enhance both the traditional maritime heritage and the contemporary maritime culture of the local community.
To accomplish this, Maritima Educare is currently engaged in the restoration of Croatian wooden BOAT PROJECTS, youth and young adult maritime education PROGRAMS, and development of maritime festival EXHIBITS.
We invite you to step into the story and follow along with us as our public benefit activities continue to expand.
2022 OFFICERS
BOAT PROJECTS
Wooden boats, maritime exhibits and traditional shipwright (kalafat) tools are important elements of Maritima Educare’s education and preservation programs. These objects provide our program participants the unique opportunity to learn about and practice some of the diminishing skills of the Dalmatian working waterfront; thereby helping to keep valuable maritime traditions alive.
Good Little Skiffs
These 2–4-meter flat bottom boats were designed and built in the USA for rowing in the protected waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Donated to our organization in 2018, the ‘Good Little Skiffs’ have been maintained and converted to sailing boats by MEA members, program participants and volunteers. In the summer season, they are used for “on the water” experiences for the public, through structured training programs.
Mala Barka
Originally constructed for service in the commercial sardine fisheries of the Adriatic, this 5-meter wooden power boat is used as an ongoing restoration project for educational purposes. Donated to MEA by a local Sumartin fisherman, Mala Barka provides “real life” traditional wooden boat repair experience for volunteers. Once the restoration procedure is complete, the Mala Barka will be made available for boat-handling and navigation training.
Divotica
This 10-meter Croatian Leut was built in 1978 as a recreational latin-rigged sailing boat. Although currently on loan to the organization, it will eventually become a part of MEA’s floating fleet of educational boats once several needed upgrades are completed. Divotica is receiving a new Torpedo motor, a new mast and sails, a complete hull and deck re-fasten and seam re-caulk. This classic Croatian boat will become MEA’s Flagship as it represents the organization at various festivals throughout the islands of Dalmatia.
CONTACT
Maritima Educare
Ante Kuzmanića 8
Sumartin, Brač
[email protected]