In 1969 Bill Lefakinis a Greek conceived and US reproduced money manager imagined a fantasy, which has since turned into a reality – Greece, The Yachting Capital of the World.
Bill passed on Greece at the early age of 13 to seek after a superior life and future for him as well as his loved ones. Bill went to the Hackley School and The College of Pennsylvania Wharton Institute of Business on full grants and served in the US Armed force and the Greek Flying corps. Having worked and voyaged broadly as CEO of Filtrine Worldwide Co., Bill at long last gotten back to Greece in 1969 where he began his own organization, Valef Yachts.
Around then there were no marinas in Greece and something like 30 yachts, 20 of which were for private use. There was no public idea of the abundance Greece brought to the table to the yachting scene. Its novel history, development, cordiality, 4,000 islands and 13,000 miles of beach (two times that of the USA where just 18% was yacht amicable contrasted with Greece’s close to 100%) made it generally great for the universe of yacht sanctioning. Bill, in the wake of understanding the gigantic capability of Greek yachting, went to work applying his skill taken from his Greek and American business openness. He persuaded four regarding his companions to allow him to sanction their yacht cabo and after right around forty years of consistent work, showcasing, advertising, strain to the different Greek Legislatures to advance this special traveler include that is top notch, Bill’s devotion at long last paid off. Today, Greece has north of 20,000 yachts for contract and for private use, and more than 50 marinas. Valef Yachts turned into a fruitful and entrusted organization with workplaces in the states and in Greece. Bill started his organization and independently made a dream and an unrest in the yachting scene in Greece with his maxim beginning around 1969 being, “Find The Yachting Universe of Greece.”
To achieve this, along with Panos Tsafos, Bill established and directed The Expert Yacht Proprietors Affiliation, became Secretary General of the Hellenic Yacht Specialists Affiliation and Advisors Affiliation, and coordinated the Relationship of Greek Yacht Teams to organize endeavors to further develop yacht sanctioning in Greece. He likewise began a magazine called “Ocean and Yachting” to edify Greeks about the excellence of their islands, their true capacity as well as the significance of taking part in seawater sports. He continually composed burning articles addressed to the Greek Government in regards to their detachment about further developing circumstances and regulations to administer appropriately proficient yachting in Greece. Bill likewise became co-distributer of the English Day to day Paper “Athens Mirror,” in 1971, turned into an individual from the Unfamiliar Press Affiliation, The Greek Travel Planners Affiliation, Hellenic American Office of Business, Greek Boat proprietor’s Club and numerous others.
In his endeavors to advance Greece universally, Bill brought the Miss Universe Challenge to Greece in 1973 (it was whenever they first held the opposition abroad); motion pictures James Bond in 1980 and 1983 and The Greek Head honcho; television series The Adoration Boat in 1980, Heart to Heart, The Ways of life of the Rich and Renowned with Robin Drain, The Night Magazine (which highlighted Greece for one whole week), The Arthur Frommer Show, Eyes on LA, Canadian and Japanese Government TV; magazines Playboy and Penthouse, Conde Nast’s “The Voyager” and many other worldwide Programs, films and magazines proceeding to the present. Universally noted characters were brought to Greece by Bill to advance yachting. To give some examples, Hugh Hefner and girl Christina, Weave Cuccione, John and Bo Derek, John Wayne, Anthony Quinn, Christina Onassis, Noble Hans Heinrich von Thyssen, Patricia Gucci – style fashioner,
Claude Arpels – Van Cleef and Arpels gem dealers,
Garavani Valentino – style architect, Max Fisher, John Clinton (Administrator of Dunhill and Rothman Gathering), Ernest Gallo, Giovanni-Yanelli of Fiat, Henry Portage II of Passage Engine Company, Roger Smith, ex-Chief of General Engines, ex-Director of the Leading group of Intercontinental Lodgings Corp. Mr. Hans Sternik, ex-German President Richard Fon Weizsacker, universally acclaimed cellist Mr. Rostropovich, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Denver, Kenny Rogers and Charlton Heston. He has been a consultant to the Greek Public Vacationer Association, Greek Service of the Trader Marine and individual from the Greek Government’s Warning Board for the Improvement of Greece, yachting marinas, and the yachting framework.
In 1978, with the undeniably weighty air contamination in Athens and water contamination in the Hellenic Oceans, Bill helped to establish “PAKOE” (The Panhellenic Biological Exploration Establishment) all together of volunteer researchers and specialists. As the Secretary General of the association, he sanctioned planes and helicopters to take many air tests by College and Government researchers (counting journalists abroad) to dissect the items for air contamination around the Acropolis, Athens too had a few Valef Yachts with similar gatherings to test for water contamination in the oceans. Everything proof was affirmed by Government logical labs and autonomous examination places. The serious degree of contamination was generally distributed with articles, photographs to every one of the media as well as full reports to the Greek Specialists including the President, State leader and every single parliamentary part. Indeed, contamination was the fundamental subject for the following year’s political race. Presently the Greek Oceans are the cleanest in Europe as per the discoveries of the European Association and the air contamination has dropped decisively, the Parthenon is safeguarded and numerous regulations have been made to safeguard the climate.
Bill and Kathy, his better half of 27 years; run the North American Central command of Valef Yachts and Bill ventures out regularly to the Greek base camp continuously keeping his finger on the beat of the market. Kathy and Bill met in 1978 while she was going in Greece. Inside the space of months they were hitched and moved to Greece where they settled and started cooperating. Kathy and Bill acknowledged in 1981 the need to lay out a USA North and South American Central command for more straightforward contact and more productive reaction and data for likely clients. Running two workplaces most of the way all over the planet from one another keep Kathy and Bill very occupied.
In 1986 Bill, as Leader of Valef Yachts and Leader of the Yacht Proprietors Affiliation, welcomed 200 American yacht dealers on 20 yachts to “Find the Yachting Universe of Greece.” They went to numerous islands where city hall leaders of the islands welcomed all with gatherings and merriments and the renowned Greek Easter was commended with the conventional broiled sheep on the fire and extraordinary tomfoolery was had by all.
Such difficult work prompts an appreciation and comprehension of a legitimate get-away. This has given them further understanding into the advancement of a definitive occasion excursion that provides food that takes care of the clients each longing. The individual touch and hands on approach presented by the yacht proprietors make contracting an extravagance yacht with Valef Yachts a genuine joy.
Charge and Kathy’s two girls, Alexandra and Kassandra, have spent various summers working in the yachting industry, getting acquainted with everything starting from the earliest stage. Having been raised in the two nations investing quality energy in Europe and cruising the Aegean, they have an extraordinary early advantage in knowing Greece, what’s really going on with yachting, and what the client eventually wants. Alexandra and Kassandra both enthusiastically work where Valef Yachts has its foundations; and keep on imbuing new energy into their privately-owned company and perhaps the earliest name in Greek Yachting.
Valef Yachts stays an organization that keeps on prospering, increase industry expectations and client assumptions while remaining solidly secured in the steadily thriving Greek yachting local area. Every one of the above exercises have at long last settled Greece as the Focal point of the Yachting Scene!