Capt. Yiannis Kozakis m/y Ouranos Too
Date interviewed: May 2007
How did you realize you wanted to become a captain?
I was a captain in the Greek navy,
and then I worked for several years on cargo ships here in the Greek islands.
In 1987, a friend who was a general asked me to work as captain onboard his yacht every weekend. It sure was nicer than the cargo ships, and I have never left the yachts ever since then.
When did you join your current yacht?
I came onboard Ouranos Too in January of 2007, when the yacht got a new owner. Before that, I was working onboard several other charter yachts in the Greek market, but none as nice as this yacht has turned out to be.
Why do you believe this yacht is so nice?
Because my job, when I came onboard, was to gut it and refinish it to compete at international standards, not just with other motoryachts in the Greek charter fleet.
I oversaw the gutting of Ouranos Too. We overhauled the engines, repainted the hull, put all new sofas, carpeting and drapes inside, replaced the overhead in all the ceilings, redid the electrical and plumbing systems so they would function properly, installed satellite television in all the cabins and the guest areas, bought all new furniture, installed WiFi throughout the boat so guests can access the Internet, made sure we had new stabilizers for cruising comfort, and even bought new mattresses for all the guest cabins. All the cabins also now have Sony PlayStations, and we put blackout shades and a drop-down cinema screen in the main saloon so guests can have movie nights.
It was a job that cost a million euros in just four months. I know exactly how much we spent, because I was the one who paid and made sure the work got done in time for the summer 2007 charter season here in Greece.
I had a small time to do many things!
How do you determine what itinerary you will set for a given charter?
My question to the brokers is always what, exactly, the charter guest would like to do. It does not matter if they want historical places, or just to have fun, of to stay in a certain bay. I know very well the Greek islands, the coast of Turkey and Croatia. If I know what they might like to do, I can suggest something.
I also ask how old the guests are. This can often be important for determining the speed or the pace of the charter, or if people have special needs.
How flexible are you about changing the itinerary on a day-to-day basis?
Very important is the weather. We must choose the correct place every day so that we do not face bad weather or uncomfortable cruising. I am happy to change the itinerary for where the guests want to go, but with the weather in mind, always.
This is why it is important to know the cruising area as well as I do, so that we can have solutions and options to change course at any time.
What are some of your favorite cruising destinations, and why?
It is not my favorites, but the guests’ favorites that are most important on a charter.
But me, personally, I like small islands because still, in Greece, they have the famous Greek hospitality. If you go to Poros or Mykonos it is beautiful, but it is more touristy. On the smaller islands, you can see the local fishermen, for instance.
Some of my favorite places like this are in the Cyclades part of the Greek islands.
What features onboard your yacht do you particularly enjoy sharing with guests?
We have many new features, all part of the refit we already discussed. But something unique that we have onboard that no other charter motoryacht has—not just in Greece, but in the world—is a sound and music creation station.
It is a proper sound-mixing system, called a FocusRite Control 24. It cost about 150,000 euros, and it is the quality that musicians use to make CDs and new songs. If guests have some experience as a musician, they can use it for free as part of their charter. On our last boat, we chartered to Paul McCartney. So he could come back and use it.
Guests without music experience, we cannot let them use it, but for them we have a Yamaha baby grand piano in the same room onboard. They are welcome to practice on that.
Describe a typical guest’s day onboard your yacht.
It depends on what they want and on the weather. With this boat, you can cruise in the morning or in the afternoon or at night. We can be flexible to do whatever the guests want to do, so no day is ever typical.
What kind of charter guests are your favorites?
All of them are my favorites. They are coming here to enjoy.
Nobody comes to Greece to have bad luck.
Ouranos Too is part of the fleet at Cape4 Yachting. She takes 12 guests with seven or eight crew at a lowest weekly base rate of 105,000 euros, or about $14,700 per person with 25-percent expenses included.. Contact any reputable charter broker for more information.
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