Giannis Papazoglou – the teacher who takes the Ikarian kids into the sea

It is Monday morning, 8 a.m., and Giannis Papazogolou is sitting in the office of the Nautical Club of Ikaria (NOI) in the Marina of Agios Kirikos, sipping on his coffee, checking the list of pupils who subscribed for today’s sailing lessons on his laptop. In total 18 kids will come today. Phew, that will be tough, and the lesson needs to be carefully planned.

Giannis is not worried about the number of kids, but he is a bit concerned about the weather conditions. For weeks now Ikaria has been hit by a heatwave, which makes outdoor activities difficult. And on top of it the weather forecast is announcing strong Southern winds, which will be a challenge for the young sailors to cope with. But Gianni does not worry too much. Even though the kids have a different level of knowledge, it will be possible to put them into the boats and to continue the lesson.

Giannis likes this morning routine. Just three weeks ago he started his work as a sailing teacher at the Nautical Sailing Club of Ikaria.  He did not know what to expect, because the Ikarian Sailing Club is still young and is struggling a lot to build up a youth section. But he liked the idea to stay on Ikaria over the summer and to share his knowledge as a professional sailing teacher.

And already now, just three weeks later, he can see some results. 34 kids have subscribed for the summer sailing lesson – most of them Ikarians – and they are committed to follow the lessons on a regular basis. They are showing up on time and they have already acquired some basic knowledge about a sailing boat and how to bring it into the sea. Not bad for the beginning.

Giannis is happy when the kids come up with all sorts of questions about the boat, the sails, the knots and he loves to watch them when they are eager to handle the knots to fix the sail on the boat. He is patient in encouraging them to not give up and to try again until the knots are perfect, and the sail is sitting safely in its base. Giannis knows that these are the little success stories needed to keep the kids interested in sailing. It is still a long way to go until his pupils are able to steer a sailing boat safely through the Ikarian sea, but he has time …. and the kids hopefully, too.

Giannis remembers that love for the sea and sailing needs support, a door opener. It is not given, even though you may live on an island and the sea dominates your everyday life.
In his case, Giannis is grateful that his uncle introduced him to sailing. Giannis grew up in Athens, but he was always fond of the sea. His uncle had a sailing boat and took little Giannis with him on his trips.  Giannis loved it: the freedom you experience, while sitting on the boat, sailing to the horizon; the challenge to master the wind and steer the boat safely back into the harbour.
Since those early days of his childhood, Giannis was committed to sailing. He joined the Athenian sailing club of Perama, which was a good base for learning and getting involved in the everyday life of a sailing club.

Later Giannis got interested in different kinds of sports and he decided to become a sports teacher. As there was no specific sports university in Greece, he went to Bulgaria and took his exams there. For several years he worked in different places in Greece, such as Crete and Attika – the normal ‘tour’ of Greek teachers. At the same time, not only did Giannis invest his time in additional education to become a teacher for pupils with special needs, but he also became a professional sailing teacher in different categories (Optimist, Laser and Katamaran) as well as a surf teacher.

Looking back, Giannis considers his development a natural “follow-up” to his initial love for the sea and teaching water sports. It makes him happy to see how his former pupils have developed their capabilities in sailing and how he had helped them to nourish their love for water sports. One of his former sailing students is now participating in national and European championships and Giannis is happy to follow his success stories.

And now Giannis is eager to become a good sailing instructor for the little Ikarians. It was only in August 2023 that he arrived on the island, working as a teacher in a school in Christos Raches. Somehow, he adapted to the Ikarian lifestyle. So he didn’t hesitate when he got a call from the Nautical Sailing Club in Agios Kirikos and was asked if he would like to stay over the summer to train the youngsters. He helped the club to organise the lessons and to make the decision to move the training from the Marina in Agios Kirikos to Faros beach. Here at Faros, the access to the water is easier. And as an added bonus,people on the beach can follow the activities of the Nautical Sailing Club and they can watch the performance of the new Ikarian seafarers in the challenging waters.

It is also nice that over summer, children from other clubs are joining in. As these kids are spending their holidays on Ikaria, they are continuing their training with NOI. So, Giannis has a chance to train young sailors who are already participating in national competitions. This is certainly a challenge for the others, but it is nice exchange – and it is setting goals for the beginners to aim for.

But Giannis is not aiming at raising champions in his work. He will have accomplished his goal as a teacher when the kids embrace the sea and water sports in a broader aspect. as far as he’s concerned, sailing is so much more than “just jumping on a boat and knowing how to set sails”. To him, sailing is a life philosophy. Sailing will give you the love for the sea and its complexity. As a sailor you are not only navigating a boat. As a sailor, you might be committed to take care of the environment of the sea. Sailing may also help you to develop your personality, because you learn how to overcome fear while facing strong winds. Being a captain can make you stronger and it enables you to take responsibility.

This is what drives Giannis to spend his summer on Ikaria – to share these ideas with his pupils and the other members of the Nautical club of Ikaria. He is committed to continue the lessons; there are ideas for winter training …. and perhaps that way the young Ikarians will feelthat the Nautical Club of Ikaria can offer them a home base for their love for the sea…. When it comes to Giannis – he is committed to making it happen.

(@ Birgit_Urban)