In February this year in Panama, a young man from Kastoria, Markos Spyropoulos, joined the inaugural Oyster World Rally – a 16-month sailing odyssey around the world.
The Oyster World Rally is the first ever around the world sail, conceived as an event to celebrate Oyster Yachts’ 40th Anniversary.
The fleet of 28 oyster yachts left Antigua on 6 January. One of the cruisers participating in the rally is Pandemonium. The yacht docked in Australia three weeks ago with Greek skipper Markos Spyropoulos as captain.
Markos started sailing at the age of ten, as a member of Optimist, a small sailing club of Kastoria. For the last 20 years, sailing has been his life.
When it comes to open sea sailing, Markos has been involved in it since 1992.
“I was the skipper on many big yachts, mostly sailing yachts. I have been working for major companies, charter companies, and also for private yachts – as a skipper and navigator,” Markos tells Neos Kosmos during a rare break he takes from the maintenance process his boat is going through in Cairns.
The endeavours of an experienced seawolf include navigating an 80-foot Swan maxi yacht for five years; sailing in Greece, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, as well as doing delivery trips back and forth – from the Caribbean to Greece.
“I was in the Caribbean for many years, doing charter trips there. I did many delivery trips, delivering yachts from the Caribbean to Greece, and the other way around. This is my first time in the Pacific,” Markos says.
Markos’ 20-year experience was a prerequisite to be appointed as a captain and to join the around the world adventure with Pandemonium. His appointment was initiated by long time friend, and the manager of the Pandemonium, Alex Mazarakis, the owner of Drama yachts in Greece.
“Alex Mazarakis has been the manager since the owner bought Pandemonium in 2009. They needed a skipper; a captain that has the knowledge for trips like this – so I joined the boat in Panama, in February this year.”
“To be a skipper on an around the world sail – you have to have minimum 10-15 years of experience. Also, you have to be accepted by the insurance company; you have to prove to them that you have the knowledge required for this kind of trip. You have to spend all your life at sea, and also have to have numerous ocean trips,” he explains.
For this around the world regatta, Markos will be away from his home in Athens for longer than a year. Sea is his life, he tells, but it has been hard lately as his family and a six-year-old son are waiting for him in Athens.
“What still attracts me to this job is the sea. Also, there is travelling, meeting new people, and working at the same time. Now it starts to be a bit difficult for me, as I have a family in Greece. I will fly from South Africa for the Christmas holidays though, for 2 weeks only, and then join the boat again for the rest of the rally.”
If you are reading this article and contemplating that this is just the most amazing job ever – travelling the world, on the boat – and getting paid for it- Markos won’t hide the darks sides of the profession he loves so much. However, he says, it is the knowledge and experience that give you the upper hand when problems occur.
“To do this job – you have to be really in love with it; it’s not an easy job. The responsibility is huge, because we are talking about life on board.
“There is no time to be afraid, not even in the worst situations. Fear has to be away from you; you have to have clear mind, to think fast to resolve the problem. There are always problems when you sail. It’s not a dream job that people think. You need to be a captain, navigator, electrician, psychologist for the guests on board – a little bit of everything,” he says with laugh.
The Oyster World Rally has seen the Greek captain and the 4-members crew of Pandemonium, alongside other fleet members explore many fabulous locations along the way. The Oyster World Rally will visit 31 destinations altogether in 15 different countries during the circumnavigation.
From Cairns, Pandemonium will sail to Hamilton Island next week, than visit Torres Strait and Darwin before they leave Australian waters in first weeks of September.
The captain hopes that coming weeks will give him more time to see Australia, as the three weeks in Cairns were used to conduct the maintenance procedures of the ‘Almighty’.
West Timor, Bali and Australian Cocos Keeling islands will follow, before the rally heads west for Mauritius, Réunion island and Cape Town, and on to Brazil for the carnival. The participants of the rally will be joining up for a final grand party with the Oyster Caribbean Regatta in April 2014.
“For me, the sea is the same and beautiful everywhere,” Markos says about his experience. However, his native Greece remains his top destination for sailing.
“Greece was and still is a paradise for me. I have been sailing all around the world, and I have never seen so beautiful places. There are a lot of beautiful places around the world, but Greece is still the most beautiful one for me, for sailing.”
To track Pandemonium and the fleet of the Oyster World Rally, visit www.oystermarine.com/worldrally/tracker.aspx