Not to be myth-ed
The Aegean offers a different sort of beauty to its Greek neighbour, the Ionian. It’s a starker, more savage beauty is much closer to the iconic images of Greece that you generally see on postcards. At times it feels like someone has turned up the contrast to a ridiculous level. If the beauty of the Aegean feels wild and untamed then that is also often reflected in the weather. Years back when I first sailed down to Greece the word ‘meltemi’ would provoke fear and loathing into anyone thinking of venturing through the Cyclades. This was the devil wind that could keep you holed up for days and quite possibly put you off sailing in the Aegean ever again. Of course it didn’t, but those of us sailing around the Aegean learnt a healthy respect for it and in the height of summer, in full meltemi season, many of us still ventured out in small yachts that would probably be considered unsuitable compared to modern yachts.
In today’s world with bigger yachts, reliable diesels and a smartphone full of weather forecasts, the meltemi seems less of a menace than it once did. But it’s still there and anyone sailing around the Cyclades should respect it. In terms
