Ayia Napa marina’s best feature is the ‘dry stack’ says sailing champ
World Laser sailing champion Pavlos Kontides believes Ayia Napa Marina’s best feature is its 220-space Dry Stack storage system for small boats, a first for Cyprus and unique throughout the Mediterranean.
Cypriot Kontides, who won the Laser Men’s World championship in Aarhus, Denmark in August, said that the dry stack for boats up to 10 metres (30 feet) will encourage people to invest in small pleasure boats and even inspire younger people to get involved in competitive sailing.
“I was keen from age six, but I believe the best time for youngsters to get involved in sailing as a sport is when they are eight or nine,” the 28-year-old champ and silver medalist in the London 2012 Olympics told the Financial Mirror.
Having already secured his spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Kontides was introduced this week by entrepreneur Stavros Caramondanis as a ‘brand ambassador’ for the 600-berth marina project that is expected to open on schedule in the summer of 2019.
The sailing champ presented Caramondanis with his original bib from the Aarhus race this summer, which the company is expected to put on display “in a prominent position” once the marina is built.
Saying that, the Ayia Napa Marina will be involved with community projects in several ways, Caramondanis said that the venue will be hosting sailing events and races, and that the property has infrastructure in place for anyone wishing to start a sailing academy.
“We have already been approached by leading international sailing schools, while some of the local nautical clubs have also shown keen interest to use the Ayia Napa Marina as their home base.”
Driving the international awareness campaign is the EUR 220 mln project’s main investor, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, who tweeted recently: “Aya Napa Marina in final stage of completion opening next Summer ...”
Construction work in what is said to be the biggest beachfront development on the island is moving ahead with the project expected to be completed in the summer of 2021, but the marina will begin operations next year.