The Inflatable Boats Club of Greece, every May Day, visits a border island, giving it life and heralding the start of the summer tourist season. At the same time it supports the needs of the island with medical, cultural or social purposes.
So for this year, the island of KYTHERS was designated.
The work of O.F.S.E. The Inflatable Boats Club of Greece (www.ofse.gr) was founded in 1987, as a body that demonstrates its love for the sea and inflatable boats and strives to restore the balance of the marine ecosystem. Demonstrating particular sensitivity in highlighting the difficulties and the visibility of the small islands of our country, it established in 1999 the «Life on the rocks of the Aegean» expeditions.
Every year the members of the Group decide to carry out a group mission to an island, after having consulted with the local authorities, cultural associations and institutions in order to listen to the needs of the local community.
They then try to fulfil their desires and in the end, by showing great methodicalness accompanied by a deep sense of solidarity, they always succeed in making the project a success.
Since 1999, when the «Life on the Rocks of the Aegean» missions began, O.F.S.E. has managed to create medical centres and kindergartens, to offer medical equipment, to enrich school libraries, to equip schools with computers, to raise money for projects on the islands.
For the members of the Inflatable Boats Club of Greece, the familiarity with the problems of the inhabitants of the islands and the effort to solve them, seems like a normal duty towards the fellow man. The sea is the great love that brings them together and the one that will always unite them.
On Saturday 29 April 2023, the Inflatable Boats Club of Greece, visited Kythera, with access from the port of Kapsali, south of the island, with their boats and crews, some of which visited Antikythera, offering medical material and a defibrillator to the rural clinic of the island.
The annual mission to the outlying islands of Greece, this time consisted, among others, of boats from Crete, Syros and Chalkida. Together with them, the President of O.F.S.E. Mr. Ioannis Souanis together with the General Manager of O.F.S.E. Mr. The President of Kythira, Mr. John Sani, along with the President and the Secretary Mr. Achilleas Hatzis and accompanied by a boat of the H.N.A.K. (Greek Lifesaving Academy) with trainers rescuers and lifeguards, delivered to Kythira medical material and a seminar on first aid at sea and exchanged gifts with the Mayor of Kythira and Antikythera, Mr.. Efstratios Harhalakis and the President of the Port Fund Mr. Dimitrios Kalligeros, as well as with the young students of Kythera.
A not to be underestimated action with great sponsors, the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Minetta Insurance, Vip Transfer Experiences and Ofilia Luxury Travel.
Our sea visitors were greeted with a wonderful music and dance event by the Municipality of Kythera and a large number of Kytherian residents with a rich buffet and the appearance of the amateur dance group of Mr. Evangelos Megaloikonomou.
During the three days of May Day, the crews of the boats toured the rest of the island and it is particularly important to emphasize that such initiatives and events significantly stimulate the economic activity of our country, which we so much need in the difficult period outside the tourist season. We thank them all warmly and we hope that similar actions will take place again soon.
The photos are by Stamatina Tamvaki
