We are in Methoni, a village in the Southwest of
Peloponnisos, for the beginning of the new year. The forecast predicted strong
westerly winds, which usually build up quite good waves over here, plus wind
from the west blows side/side-off starboard tack on this spot… Perfect
conditions to ride waves, plus it is my favorite side for waveriding. Methoni
is a really beautiful spot, about 4.5 hours drive from Athens and the scenery is fantastic, as we
are sailing next to the old castle. Last time I was here a few years ago I
didn’t enjoy it so much, because the wind was gusting up to 50 knots, the waves
were choppy and we couldn’t really control the sail to make good turns on them.
It was a survival really. This time it was mellow weather, I was on my 5.0 Ice
and 71lt Rave and when I would get a good wave I would make 8 turns on it. Then
I had to go over it otherwise I would end close to the rocks, with no wind to
go out… Not a good idea! We had two days
of down the line conditions, and although the wind was quite light and didn’t
last the whole day, we still had two really fun sessions both on Saturday and
Sunday. To be honest, such waveriding possibility is quite rare in Greece, so
everybody was really excited about the conditions. We stayed altogether in a
village nearby and overall it was a really nice weekend, with good friends
around, lots of motivation in the water, lots of fun and some bad wipeouts, as
the wind was really light on the inside –sometimes zero- and the sets were up
to 2-2.5 meters. It has been a while since I felt so motivated in the water. First
time I broke a mast in my life as well… quite an experience…
Thanks a lot to Marouska for the pics, I’ve put some up
here just so you can get an idea of how good it was, of course there are a lot
more pics, hope I’ll get them soon and upload them in the gallery!
