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GREEK BEACH HOUSEWinter BoltholesThe world map through a surfer’s eyes is a
constellation of perfect swells, beach geology
and wind. Surf enthusiasts tend to gravitate
towards very particular spots, even speciic
parts within a single beach. And there are the
well-known surfer haunts – western France’s
Biarritz even has its own museum for suring,
designed by Steven Holl (see W*146) – and
the lesser-known. Karpathos, in Greece,
deinitely belongs to the latter category; the
Aegean’s swell deicit means suring here is
entirely wind assisted.
The island, a three-and-a-half-hour ferry
ride from the popular port of Rhodes, had
long been a hidden gem, its pristine beaches
largely unknown to the international tourist
trail till about a decade ago. Now, this
rocky outcrop is slowly starting to become
a global windsuring hotspot. A Paris-based
pair of windsuring aicionados – a Swede
and a Frenchman – and their two children
were way ahead of the curve when they
started coming to Karpathos with their
boards back in 2004.
Dreaming of a more permanent base on
the island, they started looking for the
perfect spot to build their family getaway.
They found it through their friend, owner
of the local surf station, Manolis Kritsiotis,
in the bay of Aiarti, known for its strong
summer winds and loyal and lively suring
community. The site, a steep lot split into
two levels, overlooking a rocky cove, ticked
all the boxes and they shook hands on
it immediately.
They approached Stockholm-based
practice OOAK, having found it online.
Its three directors, Maria Papaigou,»HANG
TEN
A well-balanced windsurfers’
escape in KarpathosPHOTOGRAPHY: YORGOS KORDAKIS
WRITER: ELLIE STATHAKI142 ∑