July 29, 2010
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Hey, all you wind addicts:
We did not cover European destinations for a while. How about Greek Islands windsurfing or kitesurfing adventure in August? Greek Cycladic Islands in the Aegean Sea are spectacular and windy this time of the year and the best of them is Naxos Island.
Naxos Island, Greece:
Naxos Island is the biggest of the Greek Cycladic Islands located in the Aegean Sea. It is one of the most beautiful and authentic of the Greek Islands with its endless sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, postcard like Byzantine churches, ruins of ancient Greek temples and an impressive mountainous landscape.
The strong, dry north winds of the Aegean Sea called Meltem blow here from about mid-May to mid-September. Usually the wind starts in the early morning reaching 16–20 knots by 11:30 a.m. Later in the afternoon it can pick up to 30 knots when an additional sea breeze kicks in. The wind dies out at sun set.
To reach the destination fly to Athens and then transfer to Naxos Island either by plane or by water ferry. The flying time from Athens to Naxos airport (JNX) is about 35 minutes. Or you can take a high-speed ferry from Athens main port called Port of Piraeus which takes about 3 hours to reach the island.
There are two great area to kitesurf or windsurf: Mikri Vigla and Agios Georgios. The wind blows from the right side onshore most of the time. All inexperienced sailors will end up downwind on the sandy beach and can walk back easily. Lifeguard services are guaranteed by the local staff and a rescue boat is available.
The majority of kite school and shops are however located on Mikri Vigla beach. The rental gear selection is really awesome and the prices are competitive. You can rent kitesufing gear for about the same price. There are many kitesurf and windsurf schools and shops that rent gear and give lessons. Shop around for the best selection and pricing of rental equipment before committing. We recommend Thalasea Sports Shop and Flisvos Kitecentre. The former is where you can rent full windsurfing/kitesurfing gear for only $280 US per week. The later is an excellent school-shop-hotel business that can arrange a sweet package deal for you.
Their Hotel Orkos Beach is located only 150 meters away the beach where you will kite or windsurf. The rooms are clean and a breakfast will be waiting for you every morning. You can also consider staying at Oasis Studios Mikri Vigla.
If for some reasons you feel like taking a day off sailing you will quickly discover that Naxos is an island of beautiful old churches, monasteries, Venetian castles and homes. It used to be the centre of Cycladic culture in ancient times and the property of Venice in middle ages. Alternatively, there is some great mountain hiking with panoramic vistas of the beautiful neighboring Paros Island and the many small islets around.
Check out more destinations in August at our Top Wind Destinations Page
Happy Sailing,
Windresorts Administration.
We don’t sell travel, our goal is to provide unbiased info and advice on wind destinations in the Caribbean.
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