To introduce our water sports and Yachting family business, maybe it should begin, once upon a time”!!!
Fifty years ago a young girl from Wales, came to Athens on holiday and her meeting with a good looking greek water ski instructor, resulted in marriage….and that is where this story begins.
Yannis Evangelou was one of the first and very few water ski and sports instructors in Greece. In those years water ski and sailing were very elite sports. . His ambition was to create his own business, and in 1977 Yannis and Christina came to Elounda to make this challenge a reality. This also resulted in Yannis being the person who brought water sports to the area in general, and he taught and trained many locals,who went onto operating their own business at the many hotels which at that time were being developed.
Initially it was a very small business with just two boats for skiing with outboard engines, some windsurfs, pedaloes and small sailing boats…The business operated from the Elounda Beach, Elounda Bay, and Elounda Mare hotels, which also were newly developed complexes but now have become the Leading Hotels of the world
The business slowly expanded with the first sailing yacht for chartering, the Jaquelina, a 40 foot Moody type….. the family also became a foursome with two sons, Tolis and Alex, and these children had the unique and thrilling experience of growing up and developing their passion for the sea, becoming very young experts in all watersports and sailing knowledge.
Tolis and Alex have now taken over the business, Yannis continues to participate , but in a more “senior way,”…………………………
The ‘fleet”” of this family business has now completely changed from the days when their parents arrived in Elounda..A Lagoon Catamaran for yacht charter, a Scorpion Rib top of the range inflateable, a Cabin cruiser, inboards ( Master Craft , Correct Craft), jet skis, lasers, trimaran small sailing craft, plus of course a variety of the highly popular water “”game toys”” which are towed behind the outboards.
There is now also a third generation of Evangelou water sports/yachting in the making….The grandchildren of Yannis and Christina, Achilleas and Danae, are young but thoroughly initiated into participating, and add their own special stamp on the business. Displaying their expertise on skis, wakeboards,plus crewing on the charters, they encourage people of all ages to experience the love of the sea in all its immense beauty.
So, here, we have brought you to the present time, and believe an ambition has been more than fulfilled, and now in the safe hands of the next generation to continue the business…….all this because of a chance meeting fifty years ago when a young girl decided to holiday in Greece, when tourism was just being born here……
