Wind riders: Kiteboarders flock to Greek coast as August gales churn sea

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ARTEMIDA, Greece (AP) — Strong August winds swept the eastern coastline near Athens on Thursday, drawing dozens of kiteboarders who performed impressive jumps against a cloudless sky.

Gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), turned the beach at Agios Nikolaos — a rugged strip east of the Greek capital, near the port of Rafina — into an open-air playground for wind sports enthusiasts eager to catch the seasonal “meltemi” winds.

“The bigger the jump and the longer you’re in the air, the more intense the feeling of joy this gives you,” said Alexios Limperopoulos, 38, a business owner and longtime kiteboarder who took a break from running his two restaurants to ride the waves.

The meltemi — a dry northern wind that sweeps the Aegean in summer — is dreaded by ferry passengers and commercial sailors but revered by the tight-knit community of kiteboarders who plan their days, and sometimes their lives, around the weather report.

“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. Kiteboarders adapt to the changing seasons with wetsuits of varying thickness, braving the cold and winter gales that often shut down ferry routes.

“When there’s a sailing ban, we’re the ones out there,” Limperopoulos said.