The great journey of the Olympic Flag to the Pillars of Hercules (part 2)
Mission to Gibraltar
The great journey of the Olympic Flag to the Pillars of Hercules (part 2)
Mission to Gibraltar
The great journey of the Olympic Flag to the Pillars of Hercules
"The Mediterranean embraces us... Olympism unites us"... With this slogan written on our T-shirts, we crossed the Mediterranean from end to end. Reaching the farthest reaches of the entire world, during ancient times, the Heraklion columns...
"Il Mediterraneo Ci Abbracia, Le Olympiadi Ci Uniscono" wrote, respectively, the Italian newspapers and the Sicilian maritime clubs, while in Gibraltar the GBC played: "Greek sporting missionaries raise Olympic flag at the Pillars of Hercules"...
The purpose of the mission had been crowned with complete success. The message of all the nautical groups of inflatable boats of Greece reached every corner of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean was once the whole world. The ancient Greeks crossed this ancient sea, transferring their culture to the western world. The long journey of the Olympic Flag was made in honor of our ancestors, whose footsteps may be hidden in lost routes and old nautical charts, but their history is imprinted everywhere, in monuments, in temples, in entire cities. We tried to discover these signs of Greek culture, carrying the Olympic Flag by sea, sending our own message of Peace and Friendship, promoting our country, the Greek flag, our history; announcing at the same time the opening of the Olympic Games in their birthplace, inviting the whole world to the world celebration of Olympiad.
And the journey, after many months of preparation, many disappointments and much effort, finally begins...
Friday 30th of July, 09:30
In the "Megas Alexander" hall of the Makedonia Palace hotel, the departure ceremony takes place, in the presence of:
- of Mrs. Meropi Orfanou, wife of the Deputy Minister of Culture, responsible for Sports, Mr. Giorgos Orfanou.
- of the Prefect of Thessaloniki, Mr. Panagiotis Psomiadis
- of the Deputy Mayor of Culture, Mr. Dimitriou
- of the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Magriotis
- of the Director of the political office
- of Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, Mr. Aris Pourpoulakis
- of Sales Managers etc. Costas Markoulakis and Vassilis Sarafidis, of "Theocharakis Marine", as well as Mr. Alekos Alatzogiannis, of the technical department of Suzuki in Thessaloniki, the president of MOFS, Mr. Thanasis Alexandropoulos, many relatives and friends.
With the greetings and wishes of the representatives of the state, who handed us two Olympic Torches and the Olympic Flag, the delegation boarded the boats. After a parallel march in front of the White Tower and the coastal boulevard, the city of Thessaloniki was slowly disappearing behind the sterns of our inflatable boats.
With feelings very beautiful, but not yet clear, and the Olympic Flag waving in the waters of Thermaikos, the expedition has already entered its distant route:
- "Lilian", a Marvel 9.30 with a Suzuki DF 250 engine, which would carry the Greek Flag, and a crew of Thomas Panagiotopoulos, Anastasios Barbaros, Athanasios Mytzithra, Ilias Archontoulakis
- and "Thaneli", the X-Trim cabin with Yanmar 315, which carried Galanolefki and would accompany us to the Balearic Islands, with a crew of Alexandros Vei, Dimitris Evangelino, Stelios Kotsa, Petros Douvantzis. Two very good and mainly Greek-made inflatables, which coped with the difficult conditions of the trip with absolute success.
The same of course also applies to the engines, which despite the hard test of daily long-hour sailings that we forced them to do, did not present the slightest problem.
As for the inflatable crews, faith in our cause, self-sacrifice and very good cooperation helped us to overcome any difficulty. So it was "fateful" for the mission to achieve its goal...
The weather report predicts 5 and locally 6 Beaufort. Climbing the ridge of Angelochori and seeing the weather "individually", we decide to follow the second of the planned routes, which was also the shortest, for the SW end of Alonissos, bound for Murtias. The first one concerned the Straits of Evia in case the weather was above 6 Beaufort. The bows turn at 149°. We are separated by 109 nm from the beautiful Murtias, which is well sheltered from the north winds and we often use it for a few moments of rest.
The time has gone to 14:10 and our position is N39o41', A23o20'. The wind is northwesterly at 5 Beaufort, and we sail pleasantly on the backs of the waves. A few miles before the ext. Pig of Skopelos the weather reaches 6 Beaufort, as a result we turn our bow to avoid the tacks. But we continue the pleasant journey and at 15:30 we enter Murtias. A short stop for coffee and a refreshing swim in the green waters of Alonissos. With the sea looking noticeably better, we set sail for the port of Kymi, 42 nautical miles away.
Our compass at 152, and in less than two hours we are tied up in the spacious harbor, adding a few liters of fuel to our tanks. 40 nautical miles separate us from Cabo Doro and the islet of Arapi. But the sea helps us to cover them quickly and our bow slowly turns south, towards the rocky island of Mandili.
It was already dusk when we were between the southernmost tip of Evia and the island of Mandili. A cigarette... and we left for the last 29 nm towards the marina of Matios, a little above Rafina. There the guys from the East Attica Inflatable Club were waiting for us, securing us two places to tie up at the entrance of the small marina, signaling us with flashlights and guiding us via portable VHF. The time is 22:15 when we pass the narrow entrance of the Eye.
The applause and the warm welcome of the children of OFSAA made us forget the 250 n.m. which we have just passed. Fuel was waiting for us at the pier, courtesy of the "Thalassomania" stores, and after the necessary transfusions we all headed to the marina restaurant. Along these lines, we must thank the Mati Nautical Club for the positions they have allocated to us. Food followed, which we were by no means allowed to pay for, and cold beers followed each other as the conversation about our long journey progressed in depth.
- Greeting from the Deputy Minister of Culture, responsible for Sports, Mr. Giorgos Orfanos:
"The crossing of the Mediterranean, an important effort that starts from the White Tower of Thessaloniki to transfer the Olympic Flag to the Heraklion Columns, gives its own color and sends a special message to the great celebration of Sports...
Your presence at the Columns of Heracles in Gibraltar demonstrates in the best way the strength and bravery of the Greek soul... The participants of this mission, faithful to the idea "The Mediterranean embraces us... Olympism unites us", convey the message of "fair competition" for peace and coexistence of different peoples and cultures". - Greeting from the Prefect of Thessaloniki, Mr. Psomiadis:
"To express my admiration - when I first heard it, I will not hide from you that many thoughts passed through my mind... It takes courage - few have that courage. I think this trip will promote our country, I think it will be the first Olympic victory. Give our greetings to the representatives of the cities that will welcome you. I wish the members of the expedition, may God be with them, may the seas be with them and on the way back if we respond to tell us about your experiences...". - The Deputy Mayor of Thessaloniki delivered the greeting of the Mayor Mr. Vassilis Papageorgopoulos:
"I want to congratulate you on this initiative, which shows strength, love and faith in the Olympic Ideals. You have our wishes, the wishes of all of Thessaloniki, for good seas and good success in your mission.
We will be with you mentally, to face any difficulties you may encounter on the way.
Good luck and know that our wishes are always with you". - Greetings from Mr. Ioannis Magriotis:
"First of all, I would like to congratulate you on this initiative, because it has two very important and distinct symbols: One is a march in the world, a march in the Mediterranean, where the traces of Greek culture are very strong. The sailors of Thessaloniki will walk in these footsteps in order to convey the message of Hellenism, that we are here, that we continue this route of millennia, based on the same values and ideals.
The second symbolism is the message of Peace through the Olympic Torch, through the Olympic Flag and the Olympic Spirit carried by the mission crews, to accompany the message of the 2004 Olympic Games, the message of human measure, of effort and participation.
That's why I want to doubly congratulate the Nautical Clubs of the country, all the bodies of the state and also the participants, for their courage, self-sacrifice and high ideals". - Greeting from Mr. Evangelos Venizelos:
"Dear friends, I want to congratulate you on this worthy effort of yours to carry from Thessaloniki to the Heraklion Columns to Gibraltar, the message of the Olympic Ideal, a message of Peace, Friendship and Culture.
I must especially congratulate you on your initiative to involve the Greek-speaking villages of Lower Italy. This energy of yours consolidates and strengthens the Greek consciousness, where Hellenism is deeply rooted in their souls. I wholeheartedly wish you success in the Mediterranean".
31rs of July, Saturday, 08:00
The boats are meticulously prepared; sponsors' logos are placed, the pennants of all the country's inflatable boat groups, and the Olympic Flag is raised. Accompanied by many OFSAA inflatables, we slowly enter the port of Rafina, with the Olympic Flag hoisted giving its own distinctive mark. The solemn welcome of the children of the local Club, as well as a crowd of people, with horns and flares, was followed by breakfast at the Avra Hotel, located next to the port. There was a very beautiful reception - an offer of the Rafina Port Organization, where they honored us with their presence:
- the entire OFSAA, who from the first moment had grasped the meaning and messages of our very important mission, and devoted a lot of time to the organization of the reception, filling the streets, squares and shops of Rafina with posters of the Mediterranean Diablo 2004 .
- the president of the Rafina Port Organization, Mr. Vassilis Tzilavis, the vice president and members of the Organization
- the Harbor Master, Vice Captain Mr. Ioannis Karopoulos
- the Prefectural Councilor of Eastern Attica, Mrs. Beka
-
Iro Orfanou, the daughter of the Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr. Giorgos Orfanou, who handed over to us a number of Olympic badges, which were snatched up at our stations in the Mediterranean.
Greetings and wishes were addressed to us by the representatives of the State and by the president of OFSAA, Mr. Kostas Soulantonis, and we set off for Sounio, forming a spectacular procession of many inflatables of the East Attica Group, accompanied by a boat of the Rafina Coast Guard, since they had already entered implementation of the prohibitive measures of the Olympic Games. Sailing in formation, we carried out a symbolic transfer of the Olympic Flag to the coast of Eastern Attica and soon covered the 28 nm to Sounio. Under the temple of Poseidon, we said goodbye and renewed our appointment for the return. All the members of the mission, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank Costas Soulantonis, Thanasis Kravaritis, Strato Emmanouilidis, Apostolos Dadamis, Costas Tsatsomaridis, Theodoros Klarakis, Kon Pantakis, Yannis Evagelopoulos, Antonis Petrakis, Spyros Kalogerakis and all his children Group for the warm welcome they gave us, which gave us courage and more faith to continue our great journey with greater strength... Friendships that are born at sea never fade! Good luck, guys.
Very quickly we cover the 60 nm to the Isthmus, and luckily for us in a few minutes we are already in the channel, having the "honor" of being given a 20% discount on our passage price, due to an Olympic Flag. Soon we cover the 4 nm of the Isthmus and head for Loutraki, where we topped up some fuel. The 72 n.m. until Rio-Antirrio it was not so pleasant, since the well-known strong 5 of the Corinthian found us wide open and forced us to deviate further north from our course. Quite tired from the three-hour sailing, which was nevertheless a very good test for our new boat, we pass under the imposing bridge.
A few minutes' stop, the necessary photos, and our bow marks the islet of Oxia at 37 n.m.
With the sunset "touching" our bow, we increase the engine speed so that the night does not catch us.
After dark we are next to the fish farms, on the south side of the island. In vain we tried to anchor in the deepest part of the bay. The cavemen had such strength that they forced us, after a few minutes' council, to sail by night. But under the full moon, the 28 nm that separated us from our beloved Kalamos, was the most beautiful end of the day. It was midnight when we moored in the picturesque port. We walked a few meters to our familiar tavern, with the tables resting on the sea. The small talk and the analysis of the program and the course of the next day, kept us until late, certainly not that any of the crew wanted to leave early this peaceful corner of the Ionian...
With the first light of day, we leave behind this beautiful place, which year by year is developing better and better, while preserving its old graphic elements. The program called for a stop at Agrapidia, the port of Antipaxos, 56 n.m. road. With a mute north-westerly 5 on our bow, in two and a half hours we were moored sideways in the lovely little channel. A few breaths of rest, cleaning and preparation of boats, and we set sail for the last 46 miles to Garitsa in Corfu.
There, the president of the Corfu Club, Alexandros Pallis, people from the Coast Guard and the TV crews were waiting for us. After our reception we headed for I000lt supply, offered by the Corfu Club.
We moored in the boat-choked marina of Gouvia, with the Olympic flag flying and tourists watching enthusiastically. After the wonderful dinner served to us at the Imperial Hotel, we retired to the inflatables to rest.
Scholastic arrangement, weighing of loads, analysis of course.
Everything showed that we were preparing for a long journey. This night seemed different from the others. It was already 01:00 after midnight. Although the alarm was set for 3:30, none of us had any sleep. We sat on the jetty, with the inflatables by our side, and mentally we were already traveling... Defying the little time that insisted on sleeping, our thoughts were there... on the first long passage of the journey, saying goodbye to Greece bound for Capo Spartivento: 240 nautical miles...
| Sponsors of our mission | |
| - SUZUKI MARINE | - ATLANTIS - CONSULTANT |
| - EXANTAS | - STEKON HELLAS |
| - MINI OUZO | - TRATA |
| - MACEDONIA PALLAS | - GYMNASIUM |
| - D. MASOUTIS LTD (GROUP OF COMPANIES) | - WDS |
...keep Ribbing!
