- Internal Links Page
- Antonis & Manolis Bekatoros
- Argos
- Atakoy Marina
- Bakalaris
- Bolts
- Burning
- Caulking
- Central Deckhouse and Mast
- Central Deckhouse
- Choice of Colors
- Construction of the New Gunwale
- Construction of the Deckhouses
- Docking Blocks
- Eight Tree Trunks
- Emmanuel V. Riginos
- False Keel
- “Faneromeni’s” Engine Compatrment
- “Faneromeni's” Instruments
- “Faneromeni’s” Naval Construction Plans
- Fanouris Vasileiou
- First Phase of “Faneromeni’s” Reconstruction…
- Francis Type 2000 Two Speed
- Friends and the Dogs
- George Mytilhnaios
- Greek Vernacular Boatbuilding
- Halkitis Shipyard
- Homeric Cultural Center of the Municipality of Chios
- Ilias Veloudis
- Installation of Balast and a False Keel
- Installation of the Ballast
- Installation of the Onan AC Generator
- Interior Arrangements
- Kanakis
- Keel Change
- Kelvin
- Kokinos Vraxos
- Kostas A. Damianidis
- Koupetoris Shipyard
- Major Overhaul of the Kelvin Engine
- Mastheads
- Mastro
- Modification of the Stern Deckhouse (Pilothouse)
- Name Choice
- Naxos
- Nikitas Prasinos
- Nikos E. Riginos
- Notis Bilias
- Odysseas, a ship from Ithaca, 1837-1841
- Pachos Papastefanou
- Patriarch Bartholomew
- Perama
- Peter Throckmorton
- Recessed Technique
- Reconstruction of the Ribs
- Re-installation, after the overhaul, of the boat’s Kelvin engine and…
- Removal of the Old Bridge
- Removal of the Old Gunwale
- Re-Nailing
- Replacement of the Gunwale
- Replacement of the Keel
- Rolando Rapues Jr.
- Samiopoula
- Schooner
- Several Places in Greece
- Strati Afaloniati
- Stratis Afaloniatis Lumber Yard
- Submerging the Tree Trunks in the Sea
- Thanasis Dritsoulas
- Τhe Sea Remembers
- Tigraki (Little Tiger)
- Transporting the Tree Trunks from Lesvos
- Trunks are Transported to Mastro-Pachos’ Workshop
- Vasilis E. Riginos
- Vasilis Vallas
- Vasilis Zairopoulos
- Viron E. Riginos
- Yiannis Kakouris
- Yiannis Vlassopoulos
Several Places in Greece
For a long time I searched to find timber suitable for the masts, visiting several places in Greece, especially mountainous regions known for forestry, but without success.
Someone informed me that on the island of Syros, where there was considerable shipbuilding activity, I might find appropriate cypress trunks. I was further informed that in the famous shipyard of the Mavrikos Brothers there were several masts, already completed, left over from earlier projects. So I decided to go to Syros.
When mastro-Pachos heard about the trip to Syros he was excited and offered to accompany me.
So in December of 1987 we went to Syros. In addition to mastro-Pachos I was accompanied by his son, Yiorgos, and by Thanasis Dritsoulas.
I will never forget that trip. Mastro-Pachos had spent, years ago, considerable time in Syros while building a boat for a friend of his, Mr. Mparpetas, a wealthy industrialist from Syros. This boat was built in the Mavrikos Brothers' shipyard. The brothers (Yiorgos, Nireas, and Aris) are also friends of mastro-Pachos.
Other friends of mastro-Pachos in Syros were: George Orologas, who is considered one of the most skilled ship model makers in Greece; the brothers Tzanis and Michalis Vlamis, who have their own well-known shipyard; George Orologas’ nephew, Lefteris Mpoyiatzoglou (Lefteris manages his uncle's well-stocked chandlery where you can find almost everything you might need for a boat).
Ermoupolis, December 1987.
(Archive of Nikos E. Riginos)
Ermoupolis, December 1987.
(Archive of Nikos E. Riginos)
Ermoupolis, December 1987.
(Archive of Nikos E. Riginos)
With such acquaintances, we had a marvelous time going from one taverna to taverna and listening to one story after another. The highlight was, of course, the historic taverna Lilis where mastro-Pachos was particularly honored because of his long-standing friendship with the proprietor. The renowned bouzouki musician, Markos Vamvakaris, used to sing in this taverna.
At the Mavrikos Brothers’ shipyard there were indeed finished masts, but they did not meet our specifications.
However, at the Mavrikos Brothers’ shipyard I did notice an abandoned old perama caïque, about 20 meters (66 ft.) long.
When they saw how interested I was in the caïque they told me the story of the boat. She belonged to captain Mponis (Μπόνης) from the island of Myconos who, during the years of the German occupation of Greece in World War II, loaded her with rocks and sank her to prevent the Germans from commandeering her. After Greece was liberated, he removed the rocks and the boat surfaced. In this way she was saved.
The name of the boat is Evagelistria. She is the well-known Evagelistria purchased (a few years after my Syros visit) by the ship-owner George Drakopoulos who restored her. During her restoration Drakopoulos actually visited me and “Faneromeni” to exchange information and ideas for his restoration project. Today the Evagelistria belongs to the Naval Aegean Museum in Myconos and is exhibited next to the Battleship G. Averoff in Paleo Faliro near Athens.
Ermoupolis, December 1987.
(Archive of Nikos E. Riginos)
Ermoupolis, December 1987.
(Archive of Nikos E. Riginos)