The Mrduja Tug of War — A Friendly Balkan Battle

Bay Area sailors Michael Rossi and Lisa Hotchkiss have been spending more of the summer along the coast of Croatia. They wrote in about a local on-the-water event that unites folks in the Balkan country.

Every year that we’ve been coming to Croatia over the past decade, we’ve always managed to schedule our return flight just prior to one of the most celebrated events in our corner of the Adriatic: the famed Mrduja Tug of War. Mrduja is a tiny uninhabited island located almost exactly between the islands of Solta and Brac in the Adriatic. Legend has it that ownership of the island has been in contention for centuries, with Brac and Solta both claiming the strategically placed islet. Remains of a 16th-century fort prove the importance of the 2.9-square-km rock, especially when the Venetians and Ottomans were butting heads for occupation.

Croatia has long been the target for invaders and occupiers. Its central location in the Adriatic has woven a colorful historical tapestry of “owners” — Romans, Venetians, Ottomans, Huns — everyone wanted to claim part of this scenic coastline. Mrduja is just one of 1100 islands in Croatia, most of them also uninhabited, but because it sits in the middle of the channel on the way to the jewel city of Split, Mrduja was on the must-have list for centuries.

Fortunately, now the only out-of-towners come in the form of tourists. But Croatians will still find any excuse to gather friends and family for food, drink and music, and if you can make the party on the water, even better! In 2008, Solta and Brac worked together to symbolically revive the Mrduja ownership debate, and the Mrduja Tug of War was founded.

In mid-July of this year, we spotted a local wearing the coveted Mrduja T-shirt for Solta and happily realized that we would finally be in Croatia for the fun! With only days to plan, we gathered eight friends, registered our boat, managed to purchase shirts for all, and eagerly awaited the festivities.

The actual “pull” takes place at roughly 5:40 p.m., so around 5 p.m. we loaded up our ice chest with beer, soda and snacks and made the 2.2-mile trek toward Mrduja. We were soon joined by dozens of boats of every type and found a spot to tie into the Solta tug-of-war rope. The rope and line of boaters proudly brandishing their yellow Mrduja T-shirts snaked their way around the island — the Brac faction, clad in red T-shirts, did the same on the other side. At 5:40 p.m., a red flare was launched into the sky, and the “pull” officially started, which basically meant Croatian music was blasting and people were singing, drinking, and splashing around in the warm azure water. Fifteen minutes later, another flare was launched signaling the end of the pull. The “winner” would be announced at the party on Solta in the town of Stomorska. Spoiler alert: The winners alternate annually, so this year Solta claimed the crown! Team Solta certainly had more boats and more fun on the water, so even if the winners hadn’t automatically alternated annually, we still would have won!

The party brought together residents (and a few lucky tourists) from both Brac and Solta — eating traditional Croatian food, drinking wine and beer, and enjoying local Croatian music. As relative newcomers to Croatia, we’ve struggled a bit to feel a part of the culture — the Bay Area is a long way from this tradition-rich country whose language seems to have forgotten the need for vowels. But as we’ve worked to build a retirement home over the years and gotten to know many of the local residents, the “crazy Americans,” as we’ve been nicknamed, are becoming familiar faces in the small towns of the island. Being a part of the Mrduja Tug of War brought us one step closer to feeling that we’re no longer strangers. Though we know we’ll never be Croatian by blood, we can at least be a little Croatian in spirit — enjoying friends, family, good food and drink, and the glorious Adriatic Sea that sets the rhythm for this piece of Eden in the world.