Spots in this article:
Imagine that on Maui you don't have to drink your beach beer out of a bag, pay for your flat with a month's salary, your surf session at the wrong time with an ad and your flight with four days' holiday. No local will threaten you with a beating and instead of a soggy hamburger you'll be served heavenly souvlaki. There's no grim cop at immigration, just a welcome. And instead of stars and stripes, you'll see the familiar twelve golden stars.
Welcome to Limnos, the Maui of the Mediterranean. The islet in the North Aegean lies in the root zone of the summer Meltemis - the Mediterranean edition of the Tradewinds. Windsurfing pro and local Aleksandar Avdzhiev's eyes light up when he talks about God's own island: "There are more than 100 beaches along the huge coastline, and by my count there are more than 30 bays that are suitable for windsurfing," says the freestyle king of Limnos.
In the beginning, God created the water. And then the windsurfers. Long, long after that came the kiters, who would never have come into being without the surfers"
Of course, the 30-kilometre-long Limnos is also overcast with colourful umbrellas, but the windsurfers are the autochthonous water sports enthusiasts here: "In the beginning, God created the water. And then the windsurfers. Only a long, long time later came the kiters, who would never have come into being without the surfers," muses freestyler Aleksandar. For these words of philosophical force, one would almost like to call him "the Great" if the name hadn't been taken for 2376 years.
The bay of Keros covers the entire spectrum of windsurfing
The windsurfers show on the roof of the car that they are a force to be reckoned with on Limnos: Waveboards, freshly bathed in water, enhance the dusty Porsche 911, slalom boards of the latest generation on the six-cylinder BMW demonstrate financial and driving power. But you don't need six cylinders to discover Limnos - a bicycle trailer is actually enough: the heart of the water sports scene beats in the main bay of Keros, where all the water sports centres are located. The three kilometre long and 2.4 kilometre wide bay covers the entire spectrum of our sport. The wind blows from the north over a spit of land that filters out all the waves like a dam. A turquoise-coloured, smooth freestyle slope becomes a stage for burner, skopus, kabikuchis or spock konos for Aleksandar and his students. Those who find the sail waving too strenuous can wedge themselves into the loops and break their personal speed record on a gentle space course - if no Spock rocker falls in front of their bow.
If you want to join the full-throttle phalanx, you either have to get into the water in the far north of the bay, or pound the board to windward - with 30 knots of raw material in the sail, this is a ride over hundreds of choppy waves, because the centre part of the bay is dented by the wind.
But the happy ending is not far away - the chop hills run, driven by the wind, into the southern part of the bay. There, after a three-kilometre journey, they come across a land nose again. And lo and behold, small, annoying water pimples become beautiful, long lines that can reach a height of one and a half metres in the summer meltemi. Keros cool - there's a wave spot within sight of a speed piste, and you don't even need a car to get from the motorway to the wave paradise. Okay, admittedly, the dress code isn't right. Waveriding might not be as much fun with a slalom sail.
Many windsurfing centres around the world are as monotonous as your office at home: the same faces every morning when rigging up, the same course, as if you were gliding on tracks. You feel like a tram driver.
Gomati, the Hookipa of the Mediterranean
The fun weeks in the microcosm of Limnos are completely different. The windsurfers here are as mobile as the Mongolians. When you pack up your SUV (Suzuki holiday vehicle) in the morning, your mates have already sent the forecast: "Gomati is going today." A message like thunder - Big Day in the Ho'okipa of the Mediterranean. The motor mule has 40 kilometres of winding mountain roads and dusty dirt tracks ahead of it, until two signs force the driver to make a decision: Gomati Ammothines for lateral entrants and sunbathers on the left, Gomati Pirgos for hardcore waveriders and washing straight ahead. The noise of the waves is already louder than the music on the car radio. A few surfers are standing in the small car park, watching the waves slapping on the sandy beach.
If you're afraid of battling upwind through the knockers, it's better to take an adventurous sandy track (Sahara for beginners) to the north-west end of the bay and get in safely through the back door - wellness for Wavenovices.
After a few washes, you can wash down the salt on your tongue with a cold beer in the nearby Dolphin Tavern. The Fiki-Fiki bar is also ideal for a mast survival celebration. But don't get your expectations up: Fiki Fiki is the name given to seaweed on Limnos that has been piled up on the beach by winter storms.
The best windsurfing spots on Limnos
1) Keros
There are windsurfers who don't leave the bay for 14 days - no wonder, it offers almost everything. And yet you miss out on so much if you never check out the other spots. Keros Bay is three kilometres long and 2.4 kilometres wide and lies on a north-east-south-west axis. The wind usually blows from the north-east until midday (time share: 25 per cent), in the afternoon it blows from the north (also 25 per cent). The bay is considered a safe "harbour", no beginner can get lost. To the north of the Siroko Centre is a large standing area with standing depth and sandy, stoneless ground, where the schools give beginners' lessons. The turquoise bathtub is ideal for waterstart training. The wind is sometimes gusty, especially from the north. In the north of the bay there is a smooth flat water piste, further south it gets choppy. The conditions are also suitable for intermediates. Three large stations have set up in the bay: Siroko (German, English, Bulgarian) as well as a Polish and a Greek centre. Siroko centre manager Aleksandar Avdzhiev recommends a 90 to 100-litre board and a 4.8 sail for freestylers in strong Meltemi winds.
2) Aliki
The bay to the north of Keros is a popular morning alternative for foil surfers and kitesurfers. In the 4.6 kilometre long and almost two kilometre deep bay, they have plenty of space for unlimited upwind orgies. Between the dunes on the sandy beach and the strictly protected Aliki salt lake, there are endless parking areas and unlimited opportunities to set up Olympic-sized mainsails.
3) Saravari
The cult spot with the most beautiful sunset and a cosy taverna right on the beach. The small fishing village with its long sandy beach is located on a 1.4 kilometre wide and equally long bay on the west coast of the eastern peninsula. It is nestled in the mountains, with typical north-easterly winds shooting down the slope sideshore and northerly winds blowing side-on onto the beach. The bay is 200 metres deep. An abandoned holiday settlement lies on the side of a mountain, giving Saravari Bay a slightly bizarre ambience. Like Keros Beach, the water is choppy, but Saravari has less traffic on the strip. If you like the seclusion in the evenings, there are also flats to rent directly on the beach (via Siroko; this centre has also opened a small windsurfing branch here).
4) Moudros Bay at the airport
According to windsurfers, the best thing about the huge bay south of the airport is that you are guaranteed not to meet any kiters here - the harbour police prohibit kite flying within an eight-kilometre radius of the airport. The water here is heavenly flat - in both senses of the word: there are often only waves the size of a mouse's fist, but every now and then there is also very little water under the fin. The wrong place for surfers who need company or want to produce themselves.
5) Keros Wave
In the south of Keros Bay, the wind is churning up waves of between one and one and a half metres. If you don't want to go out into the waves from the station, take the car for the few kilometres. However, there is a shortage of parking spaces on the narrow beach. A chapel above the waves promises divine assistance during the cutback. There is limited space to set up. Wave beginners and surfers who hate fighting their way upwind through the waves to the line-up simply get in sideways and approach the water mounds from behind on a half-wind course.
6) Red Rock
A striking boulder in the shadow of the ancient world heritage site of Poliochni gives Red Rock its name. The Portuguese Bruno Parcerias proves that first-class wave conditions for wave rookies prevail here: he runs a surf school here: "With 15 to 20 knots of wind and a decent swell, we have waves up to 1.5 metres high here - measured from behind," promises Bruno. He brings surfing beginners of all ages onto the board. Red Rock is also very safe for wave riders, at worst they are washed up on the sandy beach. The Red Rock is upwind, so it shouldn't pose any danger. Fascinatingly spooky for history-conscious surfers: 5000-year-old Greek harbour facilities lie on the seabed. The archaeological site of Poliochni towers above the bay; the ancient city is considered the cradle of democracy.
7) Gomati
40 minutes on a winding mountain road and dusty dirt track, and the Ho'okipa of the Aegean lies at your feet: Gomati, a name with a noble ring to it among waveriders. The 1.1 kilometre deep and 1.3 kilometre wide bay on the north coast of the island thrives on the Meltemi, which hopefully comes from the north-east and hisses with at least 22 knots (six Beaufort). If the wind is purely northerly, Gomati closes up shop: closeout, unsafe. The waves here can reach four metres high. Experienced sailors get in near the Dolphin Taverna and beat their way up to the line-up, while less experienced waveriders head to the north-west and get in side shore or even room sheet. They then approach the 200 metre wide wave zone from behind. There are no rocky obstacles in the way here either (if you avoid the block on the right). Gomati is as peaceful as a freeride playground if you turn left before the beach onto a wild, sandy slope and enter at the sunshades in the far north-west of the bay - through the back door, so to speak.
Discover secret spots on Limnos
Windsurfers with the explorer gene get a small hire car (bring a soft roof rack) and look for the ideal spot depending on the wind direction and strength. And when the wind takes a break, there's education instead of Beaufort. A spectacular amphitheatre in Ifestia, which has a natural air conditioning system thanks to the wind, has been reconstructed by archaeologists. And in Poliochni you can stroll through 5000-year-old alleyways. Those looking for a deeper insight into history can be guided through the ancient city by Anastasia (accessible via the Hotel Keros Blue).
Area information Limnos
Journey
With Aegean Airlines (or another airline) to Athens and from there with Olympic to Limnos. Costs between 500 and 650 euros. Longer windsurf board bags allegedly do not fit in the twin-engine propeller planes from Athens to Limnos. Alternative: By car or motorhome to Thessaloniki or Kavala and by ferry (about four hours) to Limnos.
Tour operator
Stations
Siroko Wind Club ( sirokowindclub@g-mail.com 0035 9883 402727) is run by Stefan Raev. The centre manager is freestyle pro and former worldcupper Aleksandar Avdzhiev. Friendly, international clientele, languages spoken: English, German, Bulgarian; Tabou and JP boards, NeilPryde rigs. Board hire one week approx. 235 euros, 2 weeks 390 euros Costs: Storage for own equipment: 1 week 75 euros, 2 weeks 150 euros. Beginner courses plus 7 days equipment hire 325 euros. Special service: 15-km downwinder from Plaka to Keros. Keros Surf Club board hire: 190/280 euros (RRD boards, NeilPryde rigs).
Motorhome
There are private camping sites and pitches at every spot, but you should be self-sufficient.
Rental car
If you want to take every good wave day with you as a waverider, you need a small hire car. We have had good experiences with Garofalis Rent a Car; ( garofalisrental.com ) from 35 euros per day. Scooters from 15 euros per day (two-wheelers are not recommended on the dusty roads).
Roads
The main roads are good, the paths to the spots consist of dusty, stony dirt tracks; you wouldn't want to chase your own car over them. The Dust Roads are also a pain with motorbikes. Distances from the main base in Keros: around 40 minutes to Gomati, 15 minutes to Red Rock, 20 minutes to Saravari.
Living
Noble, close and fantastically situated above Keros Bay: The Hotel Keros Blue, owned by the enthusiastic kiter Plamen Petrov. A 15-minute walk to the Keros spot. Alternative in Keros: the luxurious tent camp Surf Club Keros with shuttle service to the spot. Many surfers stay in Kalliopi, which is close to Keros (e.g. Keros Studios for 3 people for 55 euros per night). In Kontopouli (centrally located), the Tassos flat costs from 40 euros. Very idyllic on a very quiet bay with a taverna: Villa Ataraxia with a view of the bay, 60 euros per night. Alexandra from Siroko Windclub is happy to make bookings: sirokowindclub@g-mail.com
Restaurants
The Greek attitude to life is fuelled by souvlaki and ouzo: and both are available in countless tavernas. For lunch, the windsurfers of Keros Bay head to an open-air taverna on the way to Kalliopi. Dinner on the beach at Saravari is unforgettable. Here, surfers, kiters, locals and locals accompany the glowing red sun into the evening. A must-do event! The fine restaurants right on the harbour in the town of Moudros offer very fine fish. Ouzo can be consumed directly in one of the many distilleries.
This article first appeared in surf 5/2020
