History
Besa was the first Croatian boat that sailed around the World. The writer and sailor Joža Horvat, together with three other crew members, accomplished this feat between 1965 and 1967. The boat's log from the journey was published in several world languages and became one of the best Croatian travel logs, while the sailboat Besa became the most famous boat in Croatian literature.
Built
Besa was build in Uljanik shipyard in town of Pula (Istria, Croatia) in 1964. Her hull is made of 12mm submarine steel plates that Germans left behind in the shipyard after the WW2.
Joža Horvat ordered her built in 1962. in order to sail around the world.
This ketch was designed by the naval architect Živojin Pavlović Žika on the model of north american full keel sailing ships.
With the hull lenght of 15 m, beam of 4.1 m, draft of 2.5 m and displacement of 27 tonns she could hold 1800 l of fuel and 2000 l of water.
After the voyage in 1967. she became the first croatian sailing boat that circumnavigate the world.