Thought, which for many seemed particularly bold, had already matured in his mind Antonis Passa and his wife, Katerina FEKE. With a special love for the sea, they decided to lift anchor on their boat and starting the Thermaic Gulf of Thessaloniki to make a journey of life: the Atlantic.

The time was the right thing since both completed their professional obligations; As pensioners, they have now made the decision to launch a fifteen -month journey and a total of 12,500 nautical miles in the oceans, full of new experiences, seas, buns and countless magnificent destinations.

“We learned sailing in 1997 in the Thessaloniki Nautical Club together with Katerina. We loved life at sea and life on board because it gives a sense of freedom, it relaxes you from the problems of everyday life. And when we now had the free time, we prepared our boat to have safety and comfort, and we started in July 2023 the Atlantic’s crossing completed in September 2024. , Antonis Passas.

The first nautical miles, of this special marine route, were made in the familiar waters of the Aegean and the Ionian Sea with the 40 -foot boat to “flow” next to Kythera and abandon Greece. The distance to the final destination is great and the stops are countless. Among them, the travelers land in Malta, Syracuse, the Strait of Messina, Sardinia, Valencia and Gialos Gialos to Gibraltar.

“When we started going out to the Atlantic and going to the Canary Islands we had anxiety with the attacks by the orange whales on the sailing boats because they destroyed the rudders. Fortunately, however, we didn’t have any unexpected meeting and we were now relieved we continued our journey for 600 nautical miles, impressed by the big waves of “Swell”, a permanent ripple that never stops, “Mr Passas added.

sailboat

Katerina’s 70 -year -old and 65 -year -old wife, all the way, made, as they say, an “extreme trip to a conservative edition. In the Canary islands two months stayed, enjoying the landscape, the seas, the hiking. “Freedom to be able to manage the journey is very positive,” the couple points out.

The next destination was the Caribbean, a route of 2,800 nautical miles in 23 days in the ocean. So, as soon as the hurricane period was cut, they went back to the open. With frequent “visits” from thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rain, the two captains were alternately shifting overnight, while the day was on foot early to have everything under full control.

“We were preparing everything in time. Sailing boats are safe if you have the equipment, sails, navigation instruments. We did not regret the decision of our trip for a moment, “said Mr. Passas, remembering the route. The return, to the homeland, was made by almost the same paths and with a stop at the Azores.

The Atlantic is passed by about 5,000 sailing boats each year, of which 60% of passengers are pairs. The French seem to have a lead on such trips, and the number is also satisfactory in Swedish, Norwegians, English and Germans.

Next destination for the Thessaloniki couple, as Mrs Fekes says, is the “well -known” Aegean, which have explored countless times in their sailing walks and why not, if Houthi’s attacks stop, the target of the rounds and the round of the rounds. world.

sailboat