VOA慢速英语--希腊手工木船式微 传统造船技艺待传承

Greece's Traditional Wooden Boat Building Is a Shrinking Craft

Traditional wooden boats, known as caique or kaiki, are an important part of Greek culture.

They have been used for centuries to fish and to transport goods, animals, and people. They are seen everywhere in printed materials for visitors and holiday pictures.

But the art of designing and building these wooden boats, completely by hand, is under threat.

To build a "caique," one person has to do all the work from cutting down trees and moving the wood, to securing each piece in place. The tradition is passed on from father to son or from one family member to another.

Now, fewer people are ordering wooden boats since boats made from materials like plastic and fiberglass are less costly¹ to maintain. And young people are not as interested in joining a profession that requires years of learning with an uncertain future.

Giorgos Kiassos is one of the last remaining boat builders on the Greek island Samos. It was once a major boat production center.

Kiassos is currently building two boats, one for pleasure and the other for fishing. While working, he said, "If something doesn't change, there will come a time when there won't be anyone left doing this type of job..."

"Unfortunately, I see the profession slowly dying," he added.

The boats are being made to order. The bigger one costs $70,000 and the smaller one is around $35,000.

Caiques from Samos island are famous for both the quality of the work and the material. The wood is taken from a kind of pine tree that is stronger and more resistant² to insects.

Years ago, there were many boat-building centers on the island. They employed many people and supported whole communities. Now, there are only about four left.

Kiassos said caique building is an art but the work is tough and tiring. He said young people are not following the profession. He tried to get his 23-year-old son to learn, but his son hopes to become a boat captain instead.

Why is the craft dying?

Kostas Damianidis is an architect with a doctorate³, or Ph.D., in Greek traditional boatbuilding. He said there are many reasons for the fast decrease of traditional boatbuilders in Greece.

He said, "It is a traditional craft which is slowly dying, and yet it's treated as if it were a simple manufacturing or supply business. There is no support from the state."

On top of that, for years the European Union, of which Greece is a member, has supported destroying these boats as a way of reducing the country's fishing fleet. Damianidis questioned why a young person would want to learn the craft if the government is destroying the boats.

Another major reason for the fast-shrinking number of shipbuilders is the lack of any official learning process.

Damianidis said, "Young people have to go learn beside the old craftsmen⁴, often for five years, six years, for them to be able to make a small boat, a kaiki, themselves." He added, "There is no boatbuilding school."

Help is on the way

Damiandis is setting up a new museum of Aegean Boatbuilding and Maritime⁵ Crafts on Samos. He hopes a traditional boatbuilding school, which would be Greece's first, will open in the museum.

That could also help the boatbuilders on Samos who now work mainly alone due to a shortage of skilled assistants.

"It's important to have someone experienced because if you make one mistake,... the boat might end up being — well, more of a basin than a boat," Kiassos said laughing.

After working for more than 30 years, Kiassos has learned the right time to cut down a tree, when to use naturally curved wood, and where on the boat each piece should go.

He explained if you get that wrong, the boat could end up with problems. Get it right, and his creation combines beauty, strength, and purpose.

Kiassos says he is ready to finish each boat and start on the next.

"But when it leaves, I'm somehow sad. Yes, I'll be happy when I see it in the water and I see everything is OK, but it's like something is leaving — like a piece of me."

Words in This Story

craft –n. an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands

maintain –v. to keep (something) in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.

captain –n. a person who is in charge of a ship or an airplane

fleet –n. a group of ships or vehicles that move or work together or that are controlled or owned by one company

museum –n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public

basin –n. a wide shallow usually round dish or bowl for holding liquids

curved –adj. having a rounded shape

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

3 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

4 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

5 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。