The Curse of the Gademis (Cyclone Zorbas)!
The Temple of Poseidon
'I've lived in Athens for 25 years' said Adrian, the owner of the apartment I was staying in, 'and I've never seen rain in September'.
Sure enough, when I checked, I found the average monthly rainfall for Athens in September is less than 10mm!
2018 wasn’t a normal year!
My Magical Mystery SUP Tour 2018 was scheduled to arrive in Greece in time to take part in the annual Corinth Crossing stand-up paddleboarding event. At least that was the plan! But unexpectedly bad weather had caused the cancellation of the event. As all my flights were already booked, it made perfect sense for me to continue to Athens in any event. Arriving on the Saturday, I had a couple of drinks in the lounge of a handy hotel, just a few minutes’ walk from my apartment. As I exited the hotel to find a nearby restaurant, I found myself in a storm. In fact, I have to admit I felt a little like Captain Oates (of Antarctic fame) and sure enough, within five minutes I had turned around to return to the hotel. I didn't really fancy ending up like Captain Oates. I got some very strange looks from the staff and the other customers as I re-entered the hotel lounge completely drenched from head to toe, hair soaked and matted to my head and running water cascading from my clothes onto the floor. I had no choice but to take shelter there for a few hours, consoling myself with a bowl of pasta and a few small bottles of wine - OK, it was quite a few! There was nothing else to do.
Although I was disappointed the Corinth Crossing had been cancelled, I was also relieved. It wasn't any fun walking in this weather, never mind stand-up paddleboarding!
On Sunday, the intended day of the event, I took the opportunity of a rainy tour of Athens, the Pantheon and the birthplace of modern Western society. Better weather was scheduled for the following day. I would have a few hours to SUP before my Monday evening EasyJet flight back to Manchester.
But before that, I met up with my friends Allison and Alastair from Northwest Paddleboards for a meal and a few more of those very small bottles of wine!
The last time I had seen them was six months earlier, when we were all in Portugal for the Guadiana Challenge SUP event which had been, yes that's right you're guessed it, cancelled due to bad weather. You can read about all about it here.
Alistair was convinced it was me who was bringing the bad weather with me to all of these normally calm places. He described me the Gademis, which he told me was a Greek word meaning 'the bringer of bad luck'! Maybe he was right. There was nothing else to do but order another round of very small bottles of wine!
By Monday the weather had cleared, and it was time to add Greece to the list of countries I have paddled in. I planned to head for Sounion Bay and paddle at the Temple of Poseidon. Poseidon is the Ancient Greek God of the Seas and Other Waters, so it seemed appropriate that I should SUP under the watchful eye of his temple. The picturesque drive south along the coast from Athens to Sounion was simply breathtaking. So much so that I kept stopping my car to pull into waterside laybys to look at and photograph the scenery. And as I reached Sounion, I was delighted by my choice.. As you can see, it was an exquisite SUP spot. I was very much looking forward to getting out onto the sea, but first lunch!
After lunch, I paddled out among the yachts and around the islands that lie a kilometre or so offshore. I didn't intend to head far as I wanted to leave time to visit the temple. It was a leisurely paddle with the sun on my skin, the water warm below, and nothing but a gentle breeze. But on the other side of the island, the water was unexpectedly choppy, and I took care not to get too close to the rocks. I was happy to SUP under the gaze of Poseidon, but I wasn't quite ready to meet him just yet, thank you very much!
I'm told that the view from the Temple of Poseidon is particularly beautiful at sunset. But if I was still there at sunset, I would miss my flight home. So with reluctance I headed back down the hill and jumped into my car for the airport.
The Corinth Crossing was rearranged for the following weekend. As it wouldn't be possible for me to return for that, the organisers very generously refunded my entrance fee and offered me a free place for 2019. I will certainly take them up on that.
