Annunziata – “Turn not thine eyes away from the splendour of this star, if thou desirest not to be overwhelmed with storms“. – the inscription, dating from 1858, above the entrance into the votive church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary located on the cape of Čikat. This was the place were sailors would be seen off and welcomed back, a place of fear, prayers, joy and tears. After hurricanes and storms they survived, sailors would bring to the chapel votive paintings and gifts.
In 1755, Mali and Veli Lošinj together had 3,425 inhabitants, of which many wealthy families that owned all together 105 ships, i.e. 98 tartans and trabaccolos, 4 full-rigged ships (nava) and 3 polaccas.
In 1906, “Contessa Hilda“ , commanded by Captain Aldebrand Petrina, set a record by sailing from Trieste via the Cape of Good Hope to Taltal in Chile in only 94 days.
“IMPERATRICE ELISABETTE” (nava) – built for shipowner Ivan Antun Tarabocchi, it was a ship with the greatest tonnage in the history of Lošinj. Its launch on 13 May 1875 from the shipyard of Nikola Martinolić was attended by Emperor Franz Joseph.
PETAR JAKOV LEVA (1769 - 1879) - the first captain from the eastern Adriatic who sailed round the Cape Horn with the brig “Ferdinando V Re D’Ungheria”.
ANTUN (ANTONIO) BUSANIĆ - the first captain from the eastern Adriatic who sailed round the Cape of Good Hope in 1843 on the Austrian brig “Joachim I”.
KALANDRAKA - žgvacet, a stew made of potatoes, onions and salted beef. As it was an everyday dish, its popular name among the sailors was “mila majko” (dear mother).
The first Lošinj sailing ship made of iron, the barque “Gange”, was launched in 1885.
The first Lošinj’s professional shipbuilder was Siksto Katarinić, who built the shipyard Primo Squero = Škverić, where the first big Lošinj sailing ship, the brig “Primo Lussignano“, was built in 1850.
The brothers Vidulić opened a private school called Seminario (Little School) and taught young people navigation, astronomy and mathematics. In 1855 it became the state Maritime School.
In honour of the Leva family, the eastern cape of the entrance into the port of Veli Lošinj, where the port light is situated, was named Punta Leva.
Many gifts were brought from voyages - silk scarves and shawls, exotic shells, mušjame (dried dolphin meat), bottles of oil made from sea frogs that was used to treat wounds, chewing tobacco in one piece like chocolate, etc.
A barque was the most common type of sailing ship that was built and sailed by Lošinj seafarers, so it is the main feature on the coat of arms of the town Mali Lošinj.
Sator - its name was meant to symbolise strength, fierceness and success, as well as to help it on its maritime voyages. However, despite of its powerful name, Sator was damaged, run aground or collided with other ships so many times that it was dubbed the Bad Luck Sailing Ship.
