At first I imagined it's going to be just another industrial experience.
Manmade machines clustered in a compound with more men working to cater for their needs.
But it all turned out differently, quite the opposite.
Manmade machines clustered in a compound with more men working to cater for their needs.
But it all turned out differently, quite the opposite.
Beautiful boatyards
Forest of sailboats masts under heavy sky. Aktio boatyard, Greece
A red-white ATV navigated this boatyard like a toy in a maze. Driving it was a Greek man with a long and thick gray-white beard and a ponytail. His round face always shining red and blue eyes sparkling quietly. We named him 'Angel'. I never heard him speak but I felt there was a permanent, true smile under that beard.
He knew how to control this puzzle. His ATV would suddenly appear coming around a row of boats, stopping occasionally to whisper instructions to his men on the ground. Then he would zoom out of sight. And so these large and tall yet delicate objects moved around the boatyard, in and out of the water.
Sun is coming up above the water surrounding the yard. Aktio boatyard, Greece
The Boatyard I just entered was busy. Boats were moved rapidly out of the water and onto supports, while others made the reverse trip.
That scene, 'Angel' running the show silently on his ATV, played on the first hour of my early boatyard experience in Aktio boatyard in western Greece. A few hours later nature took over and everything changed. Serenity, beauty, introspection and...exhaustion
I love boatyards.
The view from the deck in Aktio boatyard. Preveza, Greece
Why? What is so cool about boatyards?
Real stories, mesmerizing
Some yards have 1000's of sailboats. Each boat has the most amazing stories to tell
Passionate people
Most are truly passionate about sailboats. They are part of this international boat nation
A boat's paradise
It's a sailboat museum, a comprehensive catalog with such great diversity. All possible materials, designs, gear, looks and feel, can be found here
Relationships of the true kind
Between the two, between the boat and the person who sails her, loves her and nourishes her.
This is one of the most fascinating aspect of boat life. The way a boat gives back to her sailor. This affair is very tangible in boat yards where the boats gets treated like princesses. At least most do
Sailboats washed in golden light. Aktio boatyard, Greece
If you are a traveler looking for stories, boatyards are the place for you.
I was lucky to live in three boatyards so far. One in Aktio, Preveza on the Ionian sea, west Greece, one in Faro, south Portugal, and one in Hierro, the south-western most of the Canary islands, a young volcanic island, black lava.
Each was an intimate and specific experience. All were very satisfying.
My day begins with the first sunray. Too good to be missed. Aktio boatyard, Greece
Aktio boatyard
In satellite view, the place looks like an island forest of masts. There are probably a thousand boats here at least.
Aktio boatyards bird's view. There are 3 yards here. It is the largest yard complex I had ever seen. Preveza, Greece. Credit: Google Maps
Aktio is a penninsula on the shore of a channel separating the island of Preveza from the mainland. Preveza itself is a charming place where Ouzo is still prepared the traditional way by a local family. There's a new tunnel running under the water into Preveza. The tunnel is a treat for photographers as it provides super cool compositions, light play and movement
Aktio is also the site of the great Roman naval battle, a seminal moment in the history of the Roman Empire and a dramatic narrative for itself.
Catamaran on wheels. Aktio, Preveza, Greece
The Aktio yard is immense. Luckily, 'Angel' placed me and the boat by the water on the edge of the yard by the fence. Amazing sunsets, nesting seabirds around and...some heavy yet photogenic weather.
Sun and mast. Aktio, Greece
Most of the boats' owners are away but those who are unique people. I met people from all 5 continents, some have already circumnavigated the world on their boats. Others have been taking it easy, sailing the Greek islands. Nearly all are extremely helpful. One sailor helped me figure out how to maintain and repair some critical boat systems, lending tools and parts. Another told me the story of his boat and the adventures they both had together. But this is a completely different story.
Deck, shore, water. Aktio boatyard, Greece
But I'm just going to tell you - go to a shipyard, get in touch with a boat owner and ask them to take you for a stroll, to tell you about the boats. You'll have more stuff to write about than you have ever imagined. Try it.
Shipyards are a treasure trove for content creators
She's been around to the other side of the world and came back. Aktio boatyard, Greece
You can also rent a boat in a boatyard, maybe even via AirBNB, for a few nights stay. Just remember, a boat is not an apartment and if it feels too much like an apartment, find a differnt boat to stay in. You gain so much more by moving out of the traditional shelter you are used to.
Waiting for 'Angel's' angels to pick her up. Aktio boatyard, Greece
Coming up next:
Faro, Portugal shipyard
boatyard in Hierro, Canary Islands
Faro, Portugal shipyard
boatyard in Hierro, Canary Islands
If you enjoyed this story, please let me know. Thanks
All content created by @yannay for you
[//]:# (!steemitworldmap 38.952828 lat 20.767853 long d3scr)
Congratulations! Your high-quality travel content was selected by @travelfeed curator @worldcapture and earned you a partial upvote. We love your hard work and hope to encourage you to continue to publish strong travel-related content.
Thank you for being part of the TravelFeed community!
Did you know that you get larger upvotes when posting through TravelFeed.io? That is not all, we are also giving away a ticket to Steemfest to one lucky TravelFeed user. Make sure to read the announcement and opt in! Also, thanks to the travel writing contest by @invisusmundi you can now earn up to 100 STEEM on top of the post rewards when posting through our new platform TravelFeed.io! Read the contest announcement for more information on how to participate.
We are continuously working on improving TravelFeed, recently we introduced EasySignUp and EasyLogin, our first step to make TravelFeed ready for mass adoption.
Learn more about TravelFeed by clicking on the banner above and join our community on Discord.
Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=yannay
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=traveling-to-spiritual-boatyards
Want to have your post on the map too?
Congratulations @yannay! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #633.
Your post has been manually curated by the @steemitworldmap team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider upvoting and supporting us.
Excellent! I love maps, content and the amalgamation of the two via @steemitworldmap. Thank you