The Greek economy may be in terrible shape, as any local taxi driver will confirm, with unemployment soaring to skyhigh levels, but shipowners still have great trouble persuading youngsters to go to sea.
One owner attending Eurofin’s Sunday evening supper party at Athens Tennis Club, hosted by Anthony Zolotas, was heard complaining about how Greek youngsters had become a generation of stay-at-homes, despite the country’s maritime heritage and the shipping industry’s remarkable success story in recent years.
Go to sea! At least one daring broker was prepared to prove that he was no stay at home mummy's boy, although his fishing skills were sadly lacking
That reluctance seems extraordinary, he said, considering the huge numbers out of work. This particular owner is considering switching his ships from the Panama flag to the Greek register, but that would require at least four Greek nationals on board, something of a challenge given the problems of recruiting local seafarers.
“I blame the mothers,” he told Lloyd’s List. They just don’t want the kids to fly the nest.
Pool party pick me up
Posidonia: it's a hard job but someone's got to do it
“The thing people don’t realise about Posidonia before they come is that it is terribly hard work and it is a gruelling schedule,” explained one broker, champagne glass in hand, standing by one of the largest hotel pools in Vouliagmeni. Nevertheless, several thousand like-minded Trojans braved exhaustion and the promise of an ever expanding waist-line to attend the traditional Clarkson’s party held this year at the impressive Astir Palace Hotel overlooking the beach.
Clarksons chief executive Andi Case was on hand to issue a few positive words of encouragement to the assembled masses and generally lift the spirits with the promise of stability to come and if that didn’t work, more champagne.
On the Case: Clarkson's boss tries to remember why they let the press in to the party
The initially hot gossip of the evening surrounding the defection of a group of Clarksons brokers to a competitor turned out to be old news from their handysize desk and if anyone was concerned they certainly weren’t showing it.
Smile please: Peter G strikes a familiar pose by the pool