Having grown up on this island, where the "touch" of tourism has rendered life so seasonal in every aspect, the 15th of August takes on many meanings. First of all it is a religious holiday, and in many islands and villages around Greece there are festivals and processions going on.
However it is also the height of the holiday season, and of course Greece like its close neighbour, italy, almost shuts down completely. The few people that haven't already taken leave and gone on holiday, will somehow wrangle a few days off and tie them in with the holiday. A week before and a week after the 15th of August it will be almost impossible to get parts, and everyone will rely on what there is in stock.
And of course as it is the height of the season, there is also the sense that everything is downhill from thereon. Which is a mistake, as business continues, at least for us well into October, and of course we stay open throughout the winter. Still you can't escape that feeling...
So of we go now, for the weekend, as every year wondering what to do tomorrow... stay at home? or join the hordes of tourists on the beach? and on the dreaded roads...
Although there is no chance of something like this happening...
Y'all have a nice time now!!
Peter
Σάββατο 14 Αυγούστου 2010
Παρασκευή 13 Αυγούστου 2010
A long time ago, back in 1989, I was in England visiting my best mate, who was working there, for the winter. He had a week off, and his boss/mate, gave us his car to drive around and see the sights.
One day we drove to Southampton, where i saw the sign for the ferry to Cowes. On a whim, we jumped on and went to see what it was all about...
I had started sailing in 1984 and raced every season on one of the local racing boats. I used to read Yachting World, Sailing World, Seahorse, and any other publication about sailing I could get my hands on. Of course Cowes Week, the Admiral's Cup and all the other races were the stuff of dreams of me...
Arriving in Cowes, we took a walk along the waterfront, and i was stunned to see all the boats I had only read about until then, lined up one next to the other...
The other thing i loved about Cowes was how even the butcher had a nautical themed name for his shop...
Back to the present though and in our very own Marina Gouvia, there is no shortage of famous yachts moored or passing through.
First of all, for years now we have had Whitefly , a sister yacht to the famous Flyer, who won the 1981-2 Whitbread Race. Also back in 1986 Columbia the 1958 defender of the America's Cup, then under French ownership, visited our harbour for a few days. I was offered a post onboard, but had to pass as I had not done my national service, a decision which I regret to this day...
About four years ago we had a veritable piece of yachting history visit Gouvia marina. This was Shamrock V. For those who don't know Shamrock V is a J-class yacht. She was built in 1930 to challenge the America's Cup by Sir Thomas Lipton. She is one of the most beautiful and big sailing yachts ever built. This wonderful yacht has since visited Corfu every year, often staying as long as a month. Over this time I have met and become friends with her wonderful crew, who we all consider to be some pretty lucky b****ds! Nick the skipper calls us his favorite chandlery as apparently we are the only place they can get light bulbs to fit their interior lights!
About a month ago on my birthday, the 6th of July, I was treated to a wonderful present. The crew and skipper of Shamrock brought me a much cherished crew t-shirt, which I had been pining for and also a home (or should i say yacht?)-baked chocolate birthday cake! And they sang Happy Birthday! And can you believe there was no one in the shop to witness it...
Anyway I want to say a big Thank you guys,and girl, for making my 43rd birthday, such a memorable one. I will wear that t-shirt until it rots off my back...
It is moments like these that really make all the effort we put in, worthwhile.
Here are a couple of videos of the lovely Shamrock V and her crew at work:
maybe one day I might get to go on a sail...
One day we drove to Southampton, where i saw the sign for the ferry to Cowes. On a whim, we jumped on and went to see what it was all about...
I had started sailing in 1984 and raced every season on one of the local racing boats. I used to read Yachting World, Sailing World, Seahorse, and any other publication about sailing I could get my hands on. Of course Cowes Week, the Admiral's Cup and all the other races were the stuff of dreams of me...
Arriving in Cowes, we took a walk along the waterfront, and i was stunned to see all the boats I had only read about until then, lined up one next to the other...
The other thing i loved about Cowes was how even the butcher had a nautical themed name for his shop...
Back to the present though and in our very own Marina Gouvia, there is no shortage of famous yachts moored or passing through.
First of all, for years now we have had Whitefly , a sister yacht to the famous Flyer, who won the 1981-2 Whitbread Race. Also back in 1986 Columbia the 1958 defender of the America's Cup, then under French ownership, visited our harbour for a few days. I was offered a post onboard, but had to pass as I had not done my national service, a decision which I regret to this day...
About four years ago we had a veritable piece of yachting history visit Gouvia marina. This was Shamrock V. For those who don't know Shamrock V is a J-class yacht. She was built in 1930 to challenge the America's Cup by Sir Thomas Lipton. She is one of the most beautiful and big sailing yachts ever built. This wonderful yacht has since visited Corfu every year, often staying as long as a month. Over this time I have met and become friends with her wonderful crew, who we all consider to be some pretty lucky b****ds! Nick the skipper calls us his favorite chandlery as apparently we are the only place they can get light bulbs to fit their interior lights!
About a month ago on my birthday, the 6th of July, I was treated to a wonderful present. The crew and skipper of Shamrock brought me a much cherished crew t-shirt, which I had been pining for and also a home (or should i say yacht?)-baked chocolate birthday cake! And they sang Happy Birthday! And can you believe there was no one in the shop to witness it...
Anyway I want to say a big Thank you guys,and girl, for making my 43rd birthday, such a memorable one. I will wear that t-shirt until it rots off my back...
It is moments like these that really make all the effort we put in, worthwhile.
Here are a couple of videos of the lovely Shamrock V and her crew at work:
maybe one day I might get to go on a sail...
Πέμπτη 5 Αυγούστου 2010
Who is the Boatman, and what is he on about anyway?
Hi.
My name is Peter Papageorgiou and this my third blog. My others are, a Greek one where I rant and rave or do a bit of reminiscing, and another, English language one, where I write about the music I like. And now the Boatman's Blog. I'll be honest. The idea, partly, behind this one, is to promote my business. The good things are, that my business has a lot of interesting aspects about it, and that I like what I do. So I hope I can keep this interesting.
What I hope to do is give some info about sailing and the lovely yachts we cater to, details on stuff that we sell and also some stories.
I'll start off with a little info on me and the shop.
I was born in Ilford, Essex, in 1967. English Mum, Greek Dad and a few years later, here I was, growing up in Corfu, the sunny isle where my parents originally met.
I first went sailing on a boat that belonged to a friend of my dad's from Finland called Marty. We set off from the Marina in Gouvia, it must have been sometime in the late seventies. The quay was about a meter wide then and the rest of the space was like a desert, dusty and hot. You could count the boats on the fingers of both hands at best...
Fast forward to 1985, when my dad sold the few remaining rental cars he had and set up a chandlery in the old port, Corfu with a friend of his. This was Force 5 Marine, and to this day many people, especially those who have been here a while, call me Force 5 Pete...
I worked there from 1988, having just finished my National Service, until 1992. The tension of working with family got the better of us and I left to pursue another career, albeit never far from boats. I worked in the charter industry as a base manager, delivered a few yachts, did one skippered charter, and a LOT of boatyard work and maintenance on both charter and private yachts. This gave me a fair working knowledge of many things I had only been selling till then, which has benefited both me and, I believe, my customers over the years. In 1995 I started my second attempt to work in the family business, only to leave again in 1998, and start my own chandlery.
The shop started out in Kontokali, just outside the marina, in small premises in 1998. The next year saw us add the next door shop to our space too. In 2001, the need to change the company form, prompted a move to yet larger premises. For a while the we even had two big shops almost next door to each other, but we have since downsized slightly, at least as far as square meters are concerned. The move also resulted in a change of name, so we are now known, as Boatman's World. Under this name we have flourished and I am not ashamed to say , been given the nickname "East Marine" by some of our customers, in reference to the well known US mail order firm. Obviously we don't stock as much, but we have a lot of things and there is always new stuff coming in...
Actually in 1998, when I had just started the shop, an old customer, asked me: "What's it gonna be, Pete? A chandlery or a yachtie boutique?" And the choice was made there and then. A chandlery it was to be!
Right I'm going to wrap this up somewhere here. Next posts, some reminiscing from the job, and about the lovely people we generally get to meet while on it. Not to mention their beautiful boats!!
My name is Peter Papageorgiou and this my third blog. My others are, a Greek one where I rant and rave or do a bit of reminiscing, and another, English language one, where I write about the music I like. And now the Boatman's Blog. I'll be honest. The idea, partly, behind this one, is to promote my business. The good things are, that my business has a lot of interesting aspects about it, and that I like what I do. So I hope I can keep this interesting.
What I hope to do is give some info about sailing and the lovely yachts we cater to, details on stuff that we sell and also some stories.
I'll start off with a little info on me and the shop.
I was born in Ilford, Essex, in 1967. English Mum, Greek Dad and a few years later, here I was, growing up in Corfu, the sunny isle where my parents originally met.
I first went sailing on a boat that belonged to a friend of my dad's from Finland called Marty. We set off from the Marina in Gouvia, it must have been sometime in the late seventies. The quay was about a meter wide then and the rest of the space was like a desert, dusty and hot. You could count the boats on the fingers of both hands at best...
Fast forward to 1985, when my dad sold the few remaining rental cars he had and set up a chandlery in the old port, Corfu with a friend of his. This was Force 5 Marine, and to this day many people, especially those who have been here a while, call me Force 5 Pete...
I worked there from 1988, having just finished my National Service, until 1992. The tension of working with family got the better of us and I left to pursue another career, albeit never far from boats. I worked in the charter industry as a base manager, delivered a few yachts, did one skippered charter, and a LOT of boatyard work and maintenance on both charter and private yachts. This gave me a fair working knowledge of many things I had only been selling till then, which has benefited both me and, I believe, my customers over the years. In 1995 I started my second attempt to work in the family business, only to leave again in 1998, and start my own chandlery.
The shop started out in Kontokali, just outside the marina, in small premises in 1998. The next year saw us add the next door shop to our space too. In 2001, the need to change the company form, prompted a move to yet larger premises. For a while the we even had two big shops almost next door to each other, but we have since downsized slightly, at least as far as square meters are concerned. The move also resulted in a change of name, so we are now known, as Boatman's World. Under this name we have flourished and I am not ashamed to say , been given the nickname "East Marine" by some of our customers, in reference to the well known US mail order firm. Obviously we don't stock as much, but we have a lot of things and there is always new stuff coming in...
Actually in 1998, when I had just started the shop, an old customer, asked me: "What's it gonna be, Pete? A chandlery or a yachtie boutique?" And the choice was made there and then. A chandlery it was to be!
Right I'm going to wrap this up somewhere here. Next posts, some reminiscing from the job, and about the lovely people we generally get to meet while on it. Not to mention their beautiful boats!!
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