Yachting USA — March 2018

102 YACHTING MARCH 2018

PORTRAIT OF A PELICAN

The Mykonos mascot, Petros, may as well be waddling on the red carpet.

By Kelley Sanford

ISLAND ICON

The Little Venice area stretches along the sea. Close by, Niko’s Taverna is a popular eatery for both Petros and island visitors. istock/zoltangabor

 A

merica has the bald eagle, Australia the

emu, and the Greek island Mykonos has a

pelican. But eagles and emus don’t exactly

roam the streets, knocking on restaurant

doors for lunch and posing for photos with tourists.

In 1954, an injured pelican was found on a Mykonos

beach, nursed back to health, and christened Petros.

The bird, gifted by the island with an endless fl ow

of fi sh and friends, essentially gained citizen status.

He also achieved a measure of celebrity, delighting

locals and visitors alike (including Jackie Kennedy)

with his charm and natural camera presence.

It was islandwide heartbreak when Petros was

lost in 1985, but the legend would live on. Petros

“descendants” were given to the island, and history

repeated itself when another injured pelican also

found refuge there. These days, Mykonos has only

one meandering mascot, who is also named Petros.one meandering masco

Locals like restaurant owner Constantine

Monoguios, whose father knew the original Petros,

can vouch for the pelican’s importance to island life.

How ubiquitous is the legend of Petros on

Mykonos? My family and I knew about Petros and

the other pelicans since we were kids. Every tourist,

when they come [to] Mykonos, are searching for

him and always want a photo. H o w s i g n i fi c a n t

is Petros to the island’s culture? Since Petros

came [to] Mykonos and got used to the island, it was

a part of Mykonos. Everybody loved him and take

care of him. And also, one big part of Mykonos tour-

ism is because of him, as he [was] made the mascot.

Mykonos, before being famous, was an island with

fi shermen, so we can say that pelicans are still eating

well. Where does the pelican wander? Does

he interact with the sea? [He goes to] Yialos in

the mornings, looking for some fi sh from the fi sher-

men’s place. Afterwards, he goes [to] Little Venice,

looking for some more fi sh. They love [the] sea.

ISLAND ESCAPES

1. Dine like a local in Mykonos’ Ano Mera Village. The area has Greek cuisine
   in traditional tavernas, including Constantine Monoguios’ Fisherman Gior-
   gos & Marina. 2.Countless boutiques line Matoyianni Street in Mykonos
   Town (or Chora). Anything, from designer stores to local, handmade jewelry
   and more, can be found here. 3.Yachtsmen have multiple sand and surf op-
   tions: Agios Stefanos Beach is popular, with plentiful food and drink choices,
   while Agia Anna is a quieter scene. Kalafatis Beach is great for watersports.

Mykonos

GREECE