Captain Manolis Vintiadis, from Kasos, an island with a proud seafaring tradition, joins “Fair Winds and Following Seas” on Voice of Greece.
He recalls his first voyages and early experiences at sea, recounting in his own distinctive way:
“I first signed on in September 1965, just after finishing secondary school, aboard the M/V Marigoula, a small, 1,000-ton cargo ship operated by Zacharis–Vasilias, carrying fertilizer from the Black Sea. I didn’t stay long: just two months, before signing off in Itea. In December of that same year, I joined the M/V Kassian Mariner, a tanker operated by Markou.
“Later, in 1969, I joined the M/V Pegasus, operated by Rethymnis & Kulukundis (R&K). In the photograph, you can see me suspended in a boatswain’s chair, known in Greek seafaring slang as a ‘kolosanido,’ working on the lower sections of the cargo derricks, applying oil-based paint with cotton waste. The photograph was taken in the Pacific Ocean, while we were bound for Japan.”
Produced and presented by Antonis Karagiannakis