Still under the virus threat, we got ready to get to Paros all of the usual team.
We took the reliable – not very fast boat, since the ultra-fast ones were still waiting for higher occupancy permits, as the early summer allowances, with greatly reduced passengers were turning their service unprofitable.
We arrived on the island on the 1st of July with promising wind and very few visitors. Tserdakia (N.G.)beach was looking unspoiled – with no umbrellas, while our hotel had reservations for just 2 rooms.
The surf club was active & waiting, while the restaurants were mostly counting on the local clientele.
There were a few days with SW wind and a connected downpour, so I had to sun-dry all my gear. At least it happened just once.
No new equipment was acquired, and as the Planchemag team of Arnauld was not coming for testing, we would mainly focus on having a good time. Well, that did not apply for Alecos, who decided to get into 2 sailing novelties combined. Determined, and not distracted by the “encouraging” friends that were having a good time speeding by, he set-up trying Wingsail Foiling! It was fortunate that there were not many people around, to be scared out by his cursing…Shortly after, having mastered it, he would windsurf with strong wind and wing foil under moderate conditions. Compliments.
For me, it was a good windsurfing season, because against all odds, my brother joined me after a long period of medical enforced absence. That alone turned the 2020 w.s. season to a good one & promising for the next.
As I did not have new equipment to try, I concentrated on the existing, and some of the findings were not at all favorable. Technolimits in particular scored 2 failures. First came the breakage of an old carbon boom my friend Kostas had handed me over when he renewed his rig, and then somehow, the release button of my SDM extension went missing…The boom of course was scrapped, but the extension was saved upon return, thanks to the vast spares inventory of Nic Kokkolios.
Then, coming out of the water and unzipping my O’Neill wetsuit, I noticed I had a bold black collar mark around my neck, Upon closer examination, I noticed that the exposed neoprene coming in contact with the sunscreen lotion, had started to melt. If that was not enough, the rubberized seams were falling apart after 2 years of Greek summer use. My advice: for our climate, we don’t need that kind of seams sealing while as we definitely use sunscreen stuff, make sure that the parts coming in contact with your skin, are not made of uncovered neoprene. That way, you will extend greatly the life of your wetsuit.
Having tried quite a few fins to further improve the performance of my customized Exocet Cross IV, upon return as well, I decided to order a fin I have been checking for some time, shaped by Wolfgang Lessacher. While we were communicating about the shipping details, I lost contact. A week later and while I was thinking of alternative fin options Wolfrang called apologetically and informed me that he was hospitalized due to virus infection. Thankfully he was OK, and soon after, I received the Duo Cut 27 freeride fin.
During the week I had lost contact with Wolfgang, I thought it would be wise to order one more special fin of Australian origin & serious Lockwood pedigree, so I also have for this coming summer a Tribal Powermax 28 🙂
The New Golden beach being famous for the good windsurfing conditions attracts teams & athletes from all around the globe and even this weird & restrictive season, I spotted the loaded van of Giannis Genimmatas GRE-99, sales manager of Acme (NoveNove), Avanti sails & Noerstick extensions Greek distributor and athlete, who was daily testing equipment(as member of the NoveNove slalom boards R&D team) while coaching a promising Youth (16y.o.) rider Apostolos Grigoropoulos GRE-186, who has shown his riding determination during IFCA meetings in Greece, Tukey & Doha.
F2 was present with production manager & shaper Paul Simmerl driving a truck, full of uncoded prototypes. Time will show if the long hours spent on the water will give interesting new equipment…
Of course, we had a swim in Santa Maria – after all, we have so many memories from this place. What really hurts, is to see abandoned the old beach canteen, the place where “Opa” kyr’ Vangelis & his wife kyra ‘Leni have fed a generation of windsurfers.
Mind you, due to the constructions all around the bay, the wind is no longer good. Feel yourself blessed, if you sailed there even before the opening of the camping.
Hitthewave 