In a gripping sea rescue, the crew of the Super Express ferry saved a man stranded in choppy waters between the Greek islands of Tinos and Mykonos.
Captain Giannis Voutselakos, one of the ferry's two captains, provided a detailed account of the daring rescue to iefimerida.gr.
"We received a signal from the Coast Guard while on our route, informing us of a man in the sea. We immediately headed to the given coordinates," Captain Voutselakos recounted.
"The man was already on an inflatable raft. The rescue was challenging due to strong winds, which made it dangerous to approach him.
We carefully threw a rope and, thanks to the ship’s structure, which has a sort of small balcony, the man managed to climb up."
Captain Voutselakos, along with fellow captain Konstantinos Grivas and their crew, successfully rescued the Serbian national, who was battling the waves in the middle of the Aegean Sea.
The rescue operation took place while the Super Express was en route to Tinos, with its final destination being Rafina.
The rescued man, approximately 40 years old, is reported to be in good health and was taken to a health center for precautionary examinations.
The Coast Guard confirmed the rescue.
Captain Voutselakos, though, is no stranger to heroic efforts.
He was among the captains who played a crucial role in saving lives during the deadly Mati wildfire on July 23, 2018. At the time, he and his colleagues saved over 40 people who had sought refuge in the sea to escape the flames. He commanded the passenger ferry Tera Jet, conducting sea searches with the ship’s rescue boat, leading to several successful rescues.a.