About riding Karpathos
Afiartis is the flat southern tip of Karpathos, where the Meltemi, squeezed by the island's mountains, comes off the land at its hardest. Three bays in a row beside the airport serve the same wind at three levels: shallows for learning, an open bay for slalom, and the notorious Devil's Bay for the very strong. Speed world championships have been sailed here.
The winds, by name
Meltemi. The one wind that defines the spot: synoptic northerly Aegean flow which, crossing an island 11 km wide with 1215 m peaks, accelerates as through a funnel. In a real outbreak it blows day and night, builds through midday and peaks in the afternoon. July and August afternoons reach 35–40 kn, with gusts beyond 45 in Devil's Bay.
WNW thermal. In Meltemi pauses a WNW thermal sets up, usually enough for an afternoon on bigger sails.
When to come
The season runs May to October, the centres open throughout. July and August are its heart, with the strongest and steadiest wind; May-June and September-October are gentler and emptier. The water is warm all season, the wind chill is not.
What to watch
The wind is side-offshore everywhere at Afiartis: any failure takes you seaward, and it blows harder the further out you are. Near the land the gusts are sudden and violent, with rocks at the ends of the bays. Stay in the bay that matches your level, in front of a centre with a rescue boat, and when the wind climbs, change bay rather than push your limit.
Getting there
Afiartis sits beside Karpathos airport, a ten-minute transfer; in summer direct charters fly in from many central European cities.