Dozens of kiteboarders were drawn to the eastern coastline near Athens on Thursday after strong winds swept through the area.
According to Associated Press, gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour turned a beach at Agios Nikolaos —east of the Greek capital, near the port of Rafina — into an open-air playground for wind sports enthusiasts.
Alexios Limperopoulos, 38, is a longtime kiteboarder who took a break from running his two restaurants to ride the waves.
“The bigger the jump and the longer you’re in the air, the more intense the feeling of joy this gives you,” he said.
While ferry passengers and commercials sailors don’t look forward to the dry northern wind, known as ‘meltemi’ the tight-knit community of kiteboarders plan their days, and sometimes their lives, around it.
“There’s no need to call anyone,” Limperopoulos said. “We just check the forecast, and everyone’s here. People leave their jobs, their wives, their kids — they come to kitesurf.”
The community is active year-round with kiteboarders adapting to the changing seasons even braving the cold winter gales that often shut down ferry routes.
“When there’s a sailing ban, we’re the ones out there,” Limperopoulos said.
