Wind, Waves & Whitecaps A Downwinder In Greece

I must admit, when I looked for a perfect downwind spot in Europe, I didn’t immediately think of Greece. The French Atlantic coast sounded promising. Or Portugal. Until I saw some videos by John and Kostas Spinoulas, two passionate and skilled downwind paddlers who had discovered several downwind spots along the coast of Attika and on Corfu. Wind, waves, whitecaps and warm water. I knew I had to go.

For someone who lives in Switzerland, a landlocked country, I have an unusual passion. I love stand-up-paddleboarding on lakes and rivers, but nothing excites me more than downwind paddling in the sea. The freedom I feel in open water, the fun I have when I catch a glide and the changing shapes and colors of the water underneath me give me a deep sense of joy and happiness.

That’s why I’m going back to Hawaii for my fifth Molokai to Oahu crossing this summer. This race, known as the M2O, is my addiction. Crossing the channel between the two Hawaiian islands is such an adventure. Nothing I’ve ever experienced compares to paddling in the deep and blue waters of the Kaiwi’i channel. Yet training on flat water in Switzerland doesn’t exactly prepare me for the challenges I will face on race day. That’s why I was looking for a place to hone my open water skills – and found it in Greece.

When I contacted John Spinoulas to ask if I could train with him and his brother Kostas, he didn’t hesitate. “Of course!” he replied. I booked a flight and Aqua Inc.’s founder Alexander Mettes shipped my board, the 14-foot race board Siri Pro, to Athens. John picked me up from the airport, his and my board already loaded on top of his car. About half an hour later we were on the water, playing in turquoise waves and catching some bumps that became steeper and more fun as the wind picked up during the afternoon. “It’s going to get even better”, John said as he showed me the wind forecast. It looked good – a week of winds with between 25 to 30 km/h and gusts of up to 60 km/h lay ahead.