Dolphin Story Submitted by: Mike Sullivan (January 24, 2011)
I received this photo from a European rower, but have lost the email, I'm guessing it was Mike Petris, but not sure. Anybody know the backstory of this photo?
I came across this post, through a friend of mine, who knows I know everything about this photo (I have few more of them as well). :-)) So here you go.
The photo was taken on a training camp in Kotor (today Montenegro, back then still Yugoslavia) by Vladimir Banjanac ([email protected]). We used to row together in a coxed four at one World Championship and one Olympics. The year was 1989, or 1990, I don't remember any more, we weren't rowing together at the time the photo was taken, but we were at the same training camp.
The dolphin was named Joca by locals, was living in the bay where we rowed. He (we all thought it was a male dolphin, hence the male name, but the truth is no one of us knew for sure) used to play around us while we row, by jumping over, even lifting our boats out of water. He was very friendly, never did any harm (other than splashing a bit) to us or our equipment, not even by accidental jump on a oar, let alone on a boat. He was really precise and accurate performing these jumps, lifts etc. :-)))
The only times he didn't play with us were when our coaches were with us in the power boats (back then coaches didn't go out with us on the water for every practice). The powerboats were much more interesting and fun to Joca due to noise and splash they make, so he'd play with them (forgetting about us) just like he would with us. He'd even go with his nose/beak all the way up to the propeller of the power boat.
One day Vladimir decided he should take a photo of Joca. He was (and stil is) into photography, but his camera was bulky (never mind expensive) to be taken in the single scull. He bought a simple Kodak disposable camera and went out on a practice with it. Just like every day (as if he was expecting us), Joca came and started his usual routine of jumping and playing. :-)) Vladimir, while holding a camera in one hand and rowing with it, took several photos (one of which is featured here).
Sadly I've heard that several years later, sometime in the mid nineties, Joca was killed by local fisherman, for cutting through their nets and eating their fish.
Vladimir is currently living in Miami Beach and he's no longer associated with Miami Beach Rowing Club where he worked for a while as a coach at the end of the nineties up until 2004-5 or so.
So there you are...the back story of the photo. :-)))
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05/21/2020 9:22:02 AM
I came across this post, through a friend of mine, who knows I know everything about this photo (I have few more of them as well). :-)) So here you go.
The photo was taken on a training camp in Kotor (today Montenegro, back then still Yugoslavia) by Vladimir Banjanac ([email protected]). We used to row together in a coxed four at one World Championship and one Olympics. The year was 1989, or 1990, I don't remember any more, we weren't rowing together at the time the photo was taken, but we were at the same training camp.
The dolphin was named Joca by locals, was living in the bay where we rowed. He (we all thought it was a male dolphin, hence the male name, but the truth is no one of us knew for sure) used to play around us while we row, by jumping over, even lifting our boats out of water. He was very friendly, never did any harm (other than splashing a bit) to us or our equipment, not even by accidental jump on a oar, let alone on a boat. He was really precise and accurate performing these jumps, lifts etc. :-)))
The only times he didn't play with us were when our coaches were with us in the power boats (back then coaches didn't go out with us on the water for every practice). The powerboats were much more interesting and fun to Joca due to noise and splash they make, so he'd play with them (forgetting about us) just like he would with us. He'd even go with his nose/beak all the way up to the propeller of the power boat.
One day Vladimir decided he should take a photo of Joca. He was (and stil is) into photography, but his camera was bulky (never mind expensive) to be taken in the single scull. He bought a simple Kodak disposable camera and went out on a practice with it. Just like every day (as if he was expecting us), Joca came and started his usual routine of jumping and playing. :-)) Vladimir, while holding a camera in one hand and rowing with it, took several photos (one of which is featured here).
Sadly I've heard that several years later, sometime in the mid nineties, Joca was killed by local fisherman, for cutting through their nets and eating their fish.
Vladimir is currently living in Miami Beach and he's no longer associated with Miami Beach Rowing Club where he worked for a while as a coach at the end of the nineties up until 2004-5 or so.
So there you are...the back story of the photo. :-)))
Cheers,
Sead MaruĊĦic (Krako)