Photo: Studio Borlenghi / ACI Sail
ACI SAIL
Sail to future
ACI’s new project combines its well-established tradition of organising regattas, the Adriatic as a great sailing destination and the state-of-the-art ClubSwan 36 sailing boats in a new and unique sailing experience in Croatia
The rise of social media popularity has introduced the word influencer into business jargon, a term denoting a person or a group of people who can influence business decisions because of their reputation, position or connections. Applied to ACI (Adriatic Croatia International Club), it can be said that the largest chain of marinas in the Mediterranean has become a real influencer in the nautical sector over the last thirty years or so. When ACI marinas began to spring up along the Adriatic in the mid-1980s, the idea of a sporting event was born that would take place at the same time every year, bringing together the world’s sailing greats. The vision of the late Veljko Barbieri became a reality in 1987, when the concept of the ACI Match Cup was revealed to the public. Croatia became the centre of world’s sailing and was visited by the biggest names in this sport. Russell Coutts, Peter Gilmour, Paul Cayard and many others gladly accepted the invitation to participate in the ACI Match Race Cups because of the efficient organisation, perfect conditions at sea and rich social life. The Adriatic soon became a recognisable sailing destination, a place where the winners of the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Olympic Games and other major world regattas sailed. The story of ACI and sailing was further strengthened by three prestigious RC44 class regattas held in Rovinj in 2011, 2012 and 2019. ACI definitely has sailing in its DNA. Not only as a sport, but also as an activity that significantly improves Croatian tourism and promotes the sea in the best possible way.
ACI Sail, the new sailing excellence project by ACI, combines this well-established tradition of organising regattas, the Adriatic as a great sailing destination and the state-of-the-art ClubSwan 36 sailing boats in a new and unique sailing experience in Croatia. ACI Sail focuses on providing a unique sailing service, which is first-class on a world scale and intended for all lovers of the sea regardless of their sailing experience. Building on this vision, the first ACI Sail ClubSwan 36 Training Centre, which is unique in the world, has been established in collaboration with Nautor’s Swan, the Finnish manufacturer of luxury sailing boats. Equipped with the world’s largest fleet of six most innovative sailing boats on the market, ClubSwan 36, and a team of top professional sailors and Olympic athletes, the ACI Sail ClubSwan 36 Training Centre provides a whole new level of sailing experience, tailoring its offer completely to its customers’ need. With the slogan Sailing into the Future, ACI is entering a new, exciting territory of owners’ boats. Just as the idea of the ACI Match Race Cup was unique in its day, so is this visionary collaboration a great novelty in the nautical sector. Namely, the Croatian marina chain is the first company in the world that Nautor’s Swan has chosen as a partner. A special feature of Swan is also a large number of regattas brought together in ClubSwan, which is a place where sailing boat owners get together and sail in prestigious destinations around the world, such as Porto Cervo, St. Tropez or Monte Carlo. Partnering with the world’s top brands, regattas are not only focused on events at sea, but have also become first-rate social events. In accordance with this, the ACI Sail project was revealed at one of the world’s most renowned sailing clubs, Real Nautico de Palma in Palma de Mallorca, during The Nations Trophy regatta in October 2019.
‘Nautor’s Swan as a global brand and ACI as a prominent Mediterranean brand offer a unique experience in the Adriatic at the first ACI Sail ClubSwan 36 training centre in the world. This project promotes ACI in the best possible way as a company that strives to innovate, create new values, and improve not only what we have to offer, but also the Croatian tourism as a whole, and, of course, sailing and boating as our primary goal,’ explains Kristijan Pavić, the CEO of ACI.
