the meltemi winds in greece

[newsail]

Friends of mine have charted a bareboat catamaran from moorings in greece. I am planning to join them for a 2 week sailing trip around the dodecanese islands. Since I have never really sailed before I of course have some concerns. One of big concerns as I research are the Meltemi winds. I was wondering if anyone out there has had first hand experience with these winds and can tell me what might be in store. Also if you have any advice about itineraies. i would love some suggestions. Thanks.

[sailmaster25]

The meltemi winds are a local wind that blow from July though till September, with August being the strongest month. They are tough, wind speeds average 30+ knots with local area winds sometimes in the mid 40+ knots. Sea conditions are also rough wave hieghts can get to around 3-4 meters in open water.
The winds are caused when 2 pressure zones meet over the Aegean, one over greece and one over turkey, which is what we normally have most of the summer. The dodecanese suffer particularly hard as they tend to be more inthe Meltemi zone, then most of the other islands also hit hard are the Cyclades island group. When the Meltemi blows it is not advisable to go out unless you are a VERY EXPEREINECED SAILOR. Often even the ferries stay in port. The wind can blow for days. Many a charter has been ruined as the yacht has not left port or just not seen any islands. With a catarmaran in Meltemi conditions I wish you luck, not what I would choose to sail on in those types of conditions.
Have fun, and look on the bright side we may not have a bad Meltemi season, there have been years when it never arrived.......

[bruce489]

We sailed a 45 foot Sun Odysses last year & had a couple of days Meltemi. As the previous chap responded, you can be VERY unlucky with the winds. We simply had strong winds which died down sometime after lunch. Wind speeds passed the 35mph point & waves were high. We had no problem with the meltemi as we simply sheltered in the morning then sailed when it had subsided. We opted to sail through one day as we needed to cover some distance & also thought the experience would be valuable to us as we have only been sailing for 3 years. I would advise not to worry too much about the meltemi: simply sail completely within your abilities: if this means staying in port - STAY IN PORT!

[bruce489]

We sailed a 45 foot Sun Odysses last year & had a couple of days Meltemi. As the previous chap responded, you can be VERY unlucky with the winds. We simply had strong winds which died down sometime after lunch. Wind speeds passed the 35mph point & waves were high. We had no problem with the meltemi as we simply sheltered in the morning then sailed when it had subsided. We opted to sail through one day as we needed to cover some distance & also thought the experience would be valuable to us as we have only been sailing for 3 years. I would advise not to worry too much about the meltemi: simply sail completely within your abilities: if this means staying in port - STAY IN PORT!