|
|
!
Crossing Paths With a Legend
When 13-year-old Bill Lefakinis first visited the famed yacht Christina O in 1959 on the Hudson River in New York City, little did he realize that a 45 year old bond was about to start with the legendary vessel. Lefakinis, chairman of Valef Yachts, had an opportunity to visit the now-famous Aristotle Onassis yacht due to a family invitation extended to Spyros Skouras, by the owner. Skouras, chairman of 20th Century Fox, was invited to the yacht, with Winston Churchill and Maria Callas in attendance. This was heady stuff for a young lad, but it also instilled in Lefakinis a love of yachts in general and yachting in particular. As a result, the Lefakinis love of yachting has led to his stewardship of a yacht chartering business, Valef Yachts. He fondly relates how Valef Yachts and the Christina O share a joint tradition and history that is remarkable. The "M/Y Christina O" story actually originated in 1943 in Canada. Back then, the ship was known as the frigate Stormont, a convoy escort. Aristotle Onassis bought it in 1954, turning the frigate into the history's most famous yacht. The Onassis concept for "Christina O" was to convert the vessel into a powerful symbol of his business empire with unique and total elegance. Onassis' guests on board "Christina O" were truly the world's most famous, powerful and influential people of the time, including Sir Winston Churchill, The Aga Khan, King Farouk, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Eva Peron, Greta Garbo and countless other famous personalities. "Christina O" was also the scene of the world's most celebrated love affair when Onassis courted Jackie Kennedy. Three years after Onassis' death, his daughter Christina, the yacht's namesake, donated the yacht to the Greek Government for the President to entertain visiting Heads of State. Unfortunately, the Christina O was used less often and eventually went through a long period of neglect. Then in 1998, she was purchased by a family friend of Onassis who spent over 60 million dollars to bring it back to the original Onassis' condition. Ironically, Bill Lefakinis and has now come full circle with the Christina O. What's next for Bill Lefakinis? The tireless and dynamic yacht chartering entrepreneur was very active with the 2004 Olympics in Greece and enjoyed the opportunity to showcase the Greek Islands as one of the world's truly unique yacht charter destinations. Geoff Caplan operates http://geoff-caplan.com and is a professional online marketing consultant and copywriter with eleven years of continuous experience. His diversified background includes search engine marketing, e-commerce strategy and online public relations. He has lectured extensively on subjects related to online marketing and has worked for some of the Web's highest traffic brands, including eDiets and myTravelUSA.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Yacht Winterization Service Business If you own a boat maintenance business you need to be providing winterization services to your customers. Many boat owners who get to know you may trust you to help them winterize their boats. Maximize Your Cruise Wardrobe With These Packing Tips Cruises are a fun opportunity to dress up and look your best but how do you look fresh every day without bringing your whole closet?The first thing you need to think about is what type of clothing you will need. Will you be attending fancy dinners or dressing casual the whole time? Is there a theme party you would like to attend? Will you be dancing until dawn in your best dance dress? Some of these may necessitate bringing special attire and you want to make sure you have room set aside in your luggage for this. Panama Cruise Expert Guide Situated in the country of Panama in Central America is the Panama Canal - a manmade waterway connecting the great oceans of the Pacific and the Atlantic together. It is 80 kilometers in length and is wide enough to accommodate a whole host of ocean-going vessels, including Panama cruise ships. A Land Divided - A World United - The Panama Canal It has been called "the big ditch", "the bridge between two continents" and "the greatest shortcut in the world". One look at the immensity of the Canal, and you will understand why a French company with a labor force of 10,000 men went bankrupt trying to excavate it. Internet Cruises - Shopping Online "If you build it, they will come."That advice, which prompted an Iowa farmer in the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" to plow over his corn field and build a baseball diamond, has become the mantra of many high-tech startups promoting electronic commerce on the Internet. Taking A Paddleboat Cruise In May my husband and I took a wonderful steamboat trip on the Colombia River, 1,240 miles long, and Snake River, 1,038 miles long, aboard the American West's Empress of the North. This is the first time we had ever done a "niche" type cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Find Many Cruise Deals That Suit Your Personal Style And Needs! Finding Cruise Deals are half the battle when considering a cruise vacation! In order to maximize the value of your cruise, it's a good idea to do some research and find out what type of cruise ship is right for your personal needs, and the Internet is a great place to start!Some questions you want to write down are: What appeals to you most in your vacation? What are your likes and dislikes? Are you very active, or do you like to sit on the beach all day and soak up the sun, while sipping on a refreshing cocktail? Are you adventurous? Do you love to shop till you drop? Do you prefer the ship experience, or do you prefer to visit a port a day to take in the endless variety of culture? There are so many other factors you can write down to determine what type of cruising experience is right for you, so grab your paper and pencil and start writing away.Once you establish your requirements for your cruise holiday, the next step is to power-up your computer and do a little research on the types of vessels out there. Boat Cleaning Business - Bilge Clean-up Tips These areas, like any other car engine and compartment that you may come across, can either be very clean, or be extremely greasy, dirty and grimy. Remember to mention the difficulty in locating fuel, oil or water leaks on a dirty leaky bilge. Simple Things for the "Sailing Life" Owning a boat has an oxymoronic quality to it. "The simple life" can be pretty complex--I think of it as having a plane, a car, and a house compressed into a very small space. Want To Know More About Cruises and Cruise Ships? Today, Norm Goldman Editor of Sketchandtravel.com, is pleased to have as a guest of Sketchandtravel. Meguiars RV and Marine Boat Cleaners and Waxes; Test Results One of the most famous and popular brands in the wax industry is Meguiar's. Meguiar's has stood the test of time as a brand name. Whats Involved With Honeymoon Cruise Packages? With so many honeymoon cruise packages to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which one will provide the most romantic and relaxing environment for you and your loved one. The following tips should be helpful to anyone planning for honeymoon cruise vacations. Disney Cruise Expert Guide Experiencing the magic of Disney at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Paris is something that is rarely forgotten as a child or as an adult. With a Disney cruise, you can now recapture that magic on board one of Disney's elite cruise ships. Sailing Itineraries SAILING ITINERARIES IN GREECE - A PROPOSAL Bellow you may find some itinerary suggestions for your sailing holidays in Greece. These routes are just a proposal your actual itinerary should always be planned having in mind current weather conditions for your crew's safety! Important notice : Charters in Greece usually start on Saturdays at 17:00 and usually end one or two weeks later on Saturday morning at 09:00. Norwegian Cruise Line - American Style! It's not just the size and opulence of their sleek and stylish fleet that attracts passengers to Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian Cruise Line boasts the largest ratio of staff to passengers of any cruise company and this extra service shows from stem to stern. Cruising Glacier Bay You can watch movies about it, you can hear about it, you can read about it, but until you partake of it, you have no clue how thrilling it is to cruise Glacier Bay.Glacier Bay Mountain ranges with peaks over 10,000 feet, culminating in 15,320 foot high Mount Fairweather within the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Boat Hull Cleaning; Equipment Needed How do you clean the hull on a boat when it is out of the water? As a boat cleaner or detailer there are ways to speed up the process of boat hull cleaning. It is important to do a perfect job if you are to later detail the boat or put wax on it. There Are Many Reasons Why You Should Choose Inflatable Boats Over Traditional Boats If you spend any time in or around the water then you probably own or have considered owning an inflatable boat. There are many uses for inflatable boats and many people own them for a variety of very different reasons. Monaco Yachts Sea and rich people: where else to find a better combination than in Monaco! A real Monaco yachts parade can be admired throughout the year in the Hercule Port, beside the local yearly yachting events. From imposing, big-sized ones to neat, small, jewel yachts. Family Reunion Cruises - Something Everyone Can Live With The mere thought of getting together for a family reunion can strike terror into even the most stalwart of human beings. Don't get me wrong.
|
