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Simona or “Simi”Owner It was love at first sightIn the summer of 2004, Simona enjoyed an unforgettable sailing trip aboard PELEGRIN – at that time as a guest. After returning to Switzerland, she couldn't get the “most beautiful ship in the world” out of her mind. At the end of 2010, following a two-year odyssey of countless clarifications, approvals, contract adjustments and expert reports, PELEGRIN N.E.P.A., with a registered office in Corfu, was founded – with a new owner, Simona, who is also responsible for: Alongside her Greek Managing Director George Vlachapoulos (who is a great support to her, especially in administrative matters), Simona organizes bespoke sailing trips around the Ionian Sea from May to October. Simona has always felt at home anywhere in the world – from Miami to Prague. During the winter, she lives and works near Winterthur, and she spends spring to late autumn on the island of Corfu. It is her second home, and here she lives directly on the beach of Kaminaki with her dog “Apollo”, the house cat “Bubi”, and 15 other village cats, who all lead a very relaxed life in the garden. Simona lives and loves her varied and self-employed work as a publisher, marketing specialist, ship owner and all-rounder. Her interests/hobbies include: adventure holidays, photography, philosophy, astronomy, books ranging from humour to hard-hitting crime novels, ARTE documentaries, world history, art, discussions with good friends and the happy evenings she spends with the locals on the island of Corfu. Simona has 11 godchildren and she was a founding member of the “Lions Club Winterthur Altstadt”. She has been a voluntary “life coach” for 35 years, helping people who have reached their limits, and since 2019 she has also been involved in her passion project “Apollo - Help for cats and dogs in Corfu”. For more from Simona’s world: www.sisconsulting.ch oder www.apollo-animal.ch |
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Arqile or “Leja”Professional skipper A passionate skipper – for more than 25 years!Leja has been working as a professional skipper (with offshore certification) on PELEGRIN since 2007. At the end of every intense summer season, he spends his winters living in the typical Greek village of “Sivota”. It sits on the mainland, directly opposite the island of Corfu, and affords him views of PELEGRIN (she spends her winter months in “the port of Sivota”). Leja feels incredibly comfortable in his pretty house high up on the hill, with a large vegetable garden. Leja is an utter professional: calm, very thoughtful, and he always has everything under control. We can’t imagine any other skipper knows their sailing area as well as Leja does... Or that anyone can master the ship's manoeuvers better than he can... And surely nobody else is able to form such long-standing friendships – be it with other sailing ships, the locals or those responsible for the marina bases. Leja has a sixth sense for wind & weather (it’s like he has his own innate weather station). He would never take unnecessary risks and for him, nothing is more important than the safety of his guests and taking care of PELEGRIN. Leja is also a very good cook – his cooking skills are praised on almost every page of our onboard guestbook. As a ship owner, you won't find a better, more reliable or more versatile skipper (probably anywhere in Greece) than Leja! Due to his job, Leja only finds time for his hobbies during the winter months: these include his garden, where he grows a variety of vegetables, as well as taking loving care of the many “stray cats” that roam the streets. He also helps the local farmers with the olive harvest (and produces his own “Leja's Olive Oil”, which is for sale on PELEGRIN). His interests include motor sports, football, action films and maintaining his long-standing friendships. |
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Magali or “Maggie”Co-skipper For the love of adventureMagali is a trained chef who is also passionate about photography. She currently spends most of her time on the road, exploring the world. During her training to become a chef, she worked part-time in service – with the aim of gaining a variety of experience in the catering industry. Traveling has always been a big and important part of her life, and she started her “solo tour” throughout Southeast Asia at the beginning of 2024. She is always open to all kinds of adventures and at the same time is fascinated by everything that freedom and the whole wide world has to offer. One of her main hobbies is photography. This is because, she says, she is consciously seeking a broader perspective on the world and wants to enjoy unique and very special moments in life “forever”. Magali has also tried out various sports... until one day, “kickboxing” came into her life. Her other interests include learning new languages, reading and music, and she loves good communication exchange. Thanks to her warm, open-minded and caring character, Magali finds it very easy to interact with her fellow human beings. She understands and brings people together. She is looking forward to the 2024 season, with hopes for many wonderful moments, days and weeks for her and her guests. Above all, she hopes that our guests’ seven-day “timeout” aboard PELEGRIN will remain an unforgettable and happy memory for them forever. |
