In Greece, however, another “genre” of carpenter exists: those who specialize in the repair and maintenance of wooden boats, sailboats and ships. Known as shipwrights, or karavomaragoi, they, like the country’s seafaring industry, are a necessary occupation, not to mention historic and vital part of its marine heritage.
When most people think of carpenters the first thing that comes to mind are craftsmen who work on wood in buildings and in homes.
In Greece, however, another “genre” of carpenter exists: those who specialize in the repair and maintenance of wooden boats, sailboats and ships. Known as shipwrights, or karavomaragoi, they, like the country’s seafaring industry, are a necessary occupation, not to mention historic and vital part of its marine heritage.
Repair shops for these boats, the shipyards, karnagia as they are known in Greek, were located at numerous port cities and islands throughout Greece.
In fact, in the peak of wooden boat production and circulation, Greece boasted one of the largest number of boat repair areas in the Mediterranean region: in Pireaus, Thessaloniki, Syros, and dozens of other sea hubs.
In recent decades however, the decrease in wooden boats and increase of plastic boats and parts for them, created some waves for the karnagia that resulted in many of them shutting down.
But not on Koufonissia. At least not for the karnagio of the Prasinos brothers.
“This karnagio first opened in 1965,” says Giannis Prasinos, who, with his older brother Michalis have been repairing and refurbishing many of the area’s wooden fishing boats since buying the business in 1987.
“Ours is a very small shipyard,” he says, “but we continue to keep the traditional methods of fixing the boats, which is not an easy task.”
Lifting heavy weights, getting the boats onto wooden stilts is all done manually, without trailers or trolleys. “Otherwise,” says Giannis, “there would be cement everywhere.”
Instead, the karnagio at Koufonissia is one of its many charming sights: an open-air museum of sorts, with several colorful caiques, set atop the stilts waiting to receive a refresh treatment from the brothers Prasinos.
About 800 metres from the main port, it rests at Loutro beach in front of the windmill and small St. Nicholas church. Lined up along the coast are the fishing boats.
Giannis believes the shipyard will rise again as more and more people return to the simple life of the islands and villages.
“The crisis might very well bring back the glory of the karnagio,” he says, “people are realizing that city life is overrated, stressful, difficult and expensive. People coming back to live on the island will have to become fishermen. And a fisherman will need his boat. And the wooden boats, as has been proven, have lasting value.”
To visit the karnagio at Koufonissia, take the coastal road west to Loutro beach, just 800 meters from the port.
