1492

Christophorus Columbus (1451-1502) was a Genovese explorer and expert navigator who proposed a new westward route from Europe to South East Asia.  The monarchs of Spain supported his expedition, as they were interested in establishing new routes and dominate the spice trade.

During his first voyage to the Americas in 1492, he landed on an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador.  Columbus was a learned man who knew Latin, Portuguese and the Castilian languages.   He had read the works of Ptolemy, Pliny’s Naturalis Historia, and Marco Polo’s travels among others.  Columbus became an accomplished mariner as between 1473 and 1485 had travelled extensible to the Greek island of Chios, Bristol in England, Galway in Ireland and also Iceland. Those who have crossed oceans on sailboats know the multitude of difficulties mariners face in long distance passages.  Columbus’ voyage was no exception and it was his knowledge of the “trade winds” that propelled him to the Americas and also helped his return trip to the Iberian Peninsula.  

When Columbus made his landing on Oct 12, 1492 he encountered the gentle Arawak Indians, but this lush green utopia was not a paradise. Other tribes such as the Carib Indians were warlike and carried raids across the Caribbean. They were known to eat human flesh.

Today, Americans are being encouraged to judge the past based on modern enlightenment and condemn people such as Columbus for failing to live up to our standards.  Six out of ten Americans agree though that his accomplishments were pivotal for bringing together the Old and the New World and honored him by giving his name in many towns like Columbus, Ohio.

The anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas is usually observed on October 12th in Spain and throughout the Americas, except Canada. In Spain it is called the Fiesta Nacional de España y Día de la Hispanidad, while a number of countries in Latin America celebrate it as Día de la Raza. In the United States it is called Columbus Day and is observed annually on the second Monday in October.

Aegean Regatta - the passage to Patmos.

Every year several sailboat races take place in the Aegean Sea.  This year 76 sailboats from 15 nations participated in the Aegean Regatta from the island of Patmos to the island of Rhodes.  Our boat Okyrhoe departs from the port of Lavrion at 7:00 in the morning of August 15, 2017 on its way to the island of Patmos.  At the helm my brother Nikos Spigos who was accompanied by Elias Thomaidis and Vangelis Tridemas.

The first leg of the trip to Patmos was from the port of Lavrio around the southern capes of the islands of Macronisos and Kea to Poseidonia on the island of Syros.  The length of the passage was 48 nautical miles. 

Poseidonia is a small community on the west coast of Syros. 

The next leg of the trip was was to the island of Donousa, a distance 48 nm with the final leg to the island of Patmos a 45 nm distance.  All three crossings were fast due to the strong seasonal northerly wind called Meltemi that blew every day with velocities ranging from 25-30 knots gusting to 40 knots.    

Donousa, the second stop, is a small Greek island that you can literally crisscross on foot in its entirety.

Finally the weary group of three sailors reached its destination, the island of Patmos, one in the chain of Dodecanese islands.

Patmos is a holy place where St John the Divine wrote the book of Revelation.  A fortress like, 11th-century monastery dedicated to Saint John overlooks the whitewashed houses of the hilltop capital.

My brother Nikos and Georgos Polioudakis, his crewmember, from Crete at the entrance of main chapel (catholicon).  Inside the chapel, 12 carvers from the island of Chios made a wooden iconostasis in 1820. As all faithful they asked for Saint John’s support in the race that was due to start the day after that I will describe in the November post.