| |
 |
|
Battana "Sata"
- Giovanni Trani, Rovinj |
The batane of Rovinj
- Rovigno
Anyone who wanders into Rovinj is
overwhelmed with the beauty of its old town nucleus, the harbor. Boats,
old and new, of all shapes and sizes, built from different material and
for different purposes, give this harbor a very special flavor. And for
the connoisseurs, those who have not only blood but also sea in their
veins, this harbor offers an additional treat: the
batana of Rovinj.
 At
one time these were the only type of boats used by the fishermen of
Rovinj. Driven by oars or sails, these beauties enabled them to fish as
far as Bay of Kvarner and Piran. Those batanas were bigger, up to 8
meter long. In most cases, batanas were 4 to 5.5 m long. They could be
used to fish in shallow waters, and had excellent rowing and maneuvering
abilities. One of their main characteristics was a small draft.
Nowadays, unfortunately, the batana is forced to give way to modern and
better suited boats. Fishermen now sail farther away in search for fish,
which requires better vessels, sometimes with strong and powerful
motors.
Not so long ago in the past, the
fishermen of Rovinj were proud of their batana. Even today some of them
would not dream of giving it up for another boat. Unfortunately, times
have changed. Today there are no more than two or three people in Rovinj
who can still produce a true batana. The trade of making batanas and
other wooden boats is disappearing. We no longer have masters of the
trade, those who could pick out the right board, figure out the best
proportion, give the batana a soul…
|
|
The batana of Rovinj has specific
characteristics. The boat had 12 to 15 straight ribs, depending on its
length. The length was 4.6m to 8m. Ribs are 35x45 mm thick, and spacing
between them is about 29 cm. This is an inexpensive boat, with a flat
bottom and slanted board. The bow is slightly angled and there is a
mirror on the stern. The batana doesn’t have a keel. Instead, the rudder
is sometimes extra long. The bottom is made of straight boards. It rises
slightly towards the stern and the bow so that the whole bottom looks
rounded from stern to bow. The bow is usually covered up (decked) to 2/5
of the length of the boat. The rowing bench is placed near the 8th or
9th rib, and on the stern there is a triangular seat.
 The
batane are usually built without any drawings. Boat builders know the
basic measurements and proportions from experience, and all the rest
becomes the creative uniqueness of the builder. Boards that are used to
build the bottom, and often for the sides, used to be made from pine.
They were 20 mm thick. The ribs were made from oak and sometime pine.
Oak and pine were most popular because of their natural oils which made
it more durable.
|
 In
the past, all of the batane of Rovinj had a triangular sail, and the
mast passed through the bench. Their unique sails was another thing that
characterized the batanas of Rovinj. The top of the sail had a
sign/symbol that identified the family that owned the batana. This way,
family members could see early on when their family boat was returning
from a fishing trip.
Ivo Volčić
(Translated by Franko Pavicevac)
|
 |
|
Above: A postcard of Rovinj from the 1960s. In the foreground is
Toni Bartoli, Claudio de Angelini's uncle, who is painting his
old batana. |
 |
|
Two batane docked in the bay of Rovigno and painted in their
traditional colors. |
The photographs below feature the
final phase of the construction of a batana that was recently built in Pula:
Sources:
- Ivo Volčić , "Rovinjske batane". Kalendar 1990 - Franina i
Jurina, Edicija Libar od Grozda (Pula, 1990), p. 113-4.
- Planet Adria - Batana - http://planetadria.com/bastina/batana.html
- Photographs (3) and etymology (Italian) - Claudio de Angelini -
http://digilander.iol.it/arupinum/
- Photograph - Roberto Starec, Mondo popolare in Istria,
Collana degli Atti, Centro Storico, Rovigno (Rovigno, 1996)
- Photograph (top) - O tipologiji brodova i brodica - Batana -
http://www.ctk-rijeka.hr/Brodovi/Batana.htm
|
|
