What do you picture when you think of Greece? Does it include sunny days and blue seas? Kayaking in Greece can be idyllic, offering us cold water paddlers guaranteed sunshine and swimming temperatures. Last month, we ventured to Crete for a week long kayaking expedition.
The wind blows from the north onto the mountains of this tiny island, creating katabatic winds on the south coast. We had started watching the wind speeds around April, wondering what kind of weather we will have for our trip. Strong winds were a given but we were hoping for sunshine and warm water for our trip so we could happily practice various rescues in the sea. In anticipation for the windy conditions, some of us keen beans were also hoping to do our BCU 3* Sea kayak assessment.
The week before we left, I checked all the weather prediction websites that exist and found no consensus on weather. The water temperatures had reached 18C but our kayak rental on Facebook claimed it was 20C. The air temperature was between 18C and 25C. The wind was blowing close to a gale most days ranging from 25-55km/hr along the southern coast of Crete. At this point, I was having second thoughts.
OK, I've built this up sufficiently. There are two potential plotlines stemming from my story now. Either, we had awfully cold and rainy weather or we experienced really windy days where we couldn't paddle any distance. The reality was more fantastic than I could have imagined.
We had sub 30C temperatures every day, not a cloud in sight and absolutely no wind during our trip. Naturally, we didn't know this was going to happen as the weather predictors had predicted strong winds nearly every day. We paddled through calm, turquoise seas day in and day out, played on rocks, swam with fishes and generally complained about how hot it was :-). The lack of wind and waves also meant that we couldn't do our 3* assessment but I'm fairly certain no one was disappointed.
For me personally, this trip was a triumph on several counts. I have been fairly skeptical about rock hopping and going into caves while sea kayaking. Even when the sea is calm, I often feel a sense of unease when I'm asked to participate in these diversions. I've reluctantly gone around many rock islands in windy conditions to practice my ruddering skills on several occasions.
During our trip to Crete, I felt like a different person. I explored every inch of the coast line, went around every rock and looked through every cave I cam across. On some crazy whim, I did some of the above mentioned caves more than once-because why not?- the water is so calm and so warm. "What is the worst that could happen?" I asked myself. For the first time on sea I felt like whatever I did, there was no danger and no negative consequences. Some of the more brave kayakers also managed to get some coasteering in during our trip and I got some great footage in the process.
I also braved the outdoors and slept without a tent on one night. The beaches we camped at were accessible to tourists only be ferry and were all ours after 5pm in the evening. In between recovering from the day's paddle, swimming and dreaming about getting a Mythos- finding time to set up tent was tricky. I managed just fine on all days but one, when I couldn't be bothered and decided to put my sleeping mat and bag on a sun lounger. It doesn't sound classy but it was the starriest sky I ever saw and I had the best sleep that night.
Other welcome additions during this trip were morning yoga sessions on the beach. I encouraged my group members to join me for sun salutations and dynamic stretches to help with paddling. I was very pleased to see that a lot of people were open to the idea of warming up the muscles before a long paddle, something I hadn't experienced much.
On previous expeditions, lunch stops had been 20-30mins long on a small beach to keep time and arrive at the end point before dark. In Crete, our lunch breaks were luxurious. We all had time for lunch, a post lunch swim with fishes and a siesta in the sun. At our end point some of us would practice rescues (and end up covered in bruises) while others would head to the closes taverna for a Mythos. The atmosphere was so relaxed and fun at all time, just like a holiday should be.
The first few days back from the trip were very confusing. I missed my bus stop, couldn't focus at work and generally felt a little bit lost. Its been a few weeks since I returned to the UK and I still miss the turquoise colour of the sea in Crete. Hopefully, I can go back again at some point and experience the natural beauty in Crete. If you're interested in going on a kayaking trip to Crete in 2019, have a look at http://www.exploraexpeditions.com/crete.