Surfing in Naxos mixes with the Greek mythology June 11, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greece Islands Aegean.trackback
The Greek mythology > Beautiful she was, and of Royal blood > Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, King of Crete. Many men sought her hand. She decided on Dionysus, the God of Wine, who had a magnificent Palace built for her on the island of Naxos.
Little is left of the Palace today. But Ariadne’s Gate still stands, crumbling, near the island’s capital and chief port, which is also called Naxos. In the evening it draws numerous couples in love. But ancient ruins are not the chief attraction for most visitors to the island. Windsurfing is, especially off the beach south of the capital.
Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. It has an area of 428 square kilometres, and 148 kilometres of coastline. At Agios Georgios beach and in the adjacent lagoon, the wind direction is mostly “side-shore” or parallel to the shoreline.
“That’s ideal for a windsurfer,” explained Jan Andres. A 42-year-old German, Andres came to Naxos 12 years ago to start a new life as a hotelier and restaurateur. He transformed a forlorn windsurf station in the lagoon into a bustling windsurfing spot with a windsurfing school, bar and equipment-rental business. Naxos fills the bill for both beginners and experienced windsurfers.
“The lagoon is large, and shallow enough to stand in. What’s more, beginners can’t drift off,” Andres said. “For experienced windsurfers there’s the Meltemi, a north wind with a force of up to six or seven, “strong breeze” or “near gale” on the Beaufort scale.” In addition, there are numerous offshore reef flats that break the waves and give the pros an even more exciting ride on their boards. Off the adjacent beach, directly in front of the beach bar, strong winds can kick up big waves. That is where the real experts romp.
One of those is Michalis Roussos, a 35-year-old native of Naxos who hops on his board as often as he can. “Windsurfing’s the best way for me to relax,” Roussos said. He started windsurfing at age 17 and is one of the locals, who is interested in water sports.
Someone else whose life revolves around water sports is Hans-Joachim “Kutte” Priessner, 58. A one-time professional materials tester and ex-editor in chief of a well-known surf magazine, he lives on Naxos from April to October and organises day sailing trips for tourists. “There are plenty of interesting spots on Naxos,” Preissner said. “When there’s no wind, visitors can enjoy horseback riding, hiking and cycling.” His personal tip for windsurfers is Azala beach near Moutsouna.
People who live on the island say the “Naxos virus” is what makes many tourists keep coming back. “Most of our guests are regulars,” Andres said. But mass tourism is unlikely to swamp Naxos anytime soon, because getting there is no simple matter. It is one of the few Greek islands not served by scheduled flights. The airport runway is too short for large planes, and there are no plans to lengthen it in the near future.
grhomeboy
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