Two Greek-Americans are undertaking a modern-day odyssey to Greece from New York, in honor of the 2004 Olympic games. Departure is scheduled for May 30th, 2004. The journey by sailboat will take approximately 10 weeks.

Seeking adventure and self-discovery on the high seas, the two mariners will sail across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Mediterranean Sea, and north on the Ionian Sea to Kerkyra (Corfu), Greece. The stops en route include the Azores and Gibraltar. Estimated arrival in Kerkyra is on or about August 5th, 2004.

Mr. Katehis, owner of a food service/catering business on Wall Street, was born in Kerkyra in 1964. His parents, in search of a better way of living, moved to America when he was seven. Since that time, he has often visited his grandparents and other family members who stayed behind. “During my trips to Greece, I would get goose bumps all over my body. It’s an exhilarating feeling of deep-rooted homesickness,” says Katehis. “Anxiety would build inside as I came closer to reliving my ancestral past. I would be the happiest of kids visiting the storekeepers and small Venetian-style streets of Old Corfu Town that I had left behind.”

A technology consultant in the investment industry, Andonis Prikas was born in the US in 1967. His father is from the island of Kos and his mother from the Greek mainland. “The trip is inspired by my grandfather, who was killed in the 1946 Civil War,” says Prikas. “His name was Captain Kostas Ladas, and he fought proudly for what he believed in.”

Katehis and Prikas will be sailing on their 40-foot sailboat, “Adele.” After two years of vessel preparations—and searing criticism from both family and friends—they have finally made the trip a reality. Although all necessary safety measures are being taken, it is the thrill of the unexpected—the lure of adventure in the old Homeric tradition—that drives them on.