Weather 2: the Mediterranean's named winds

The friendly ones: afternoon sea breezes

• On sunny summer days the land heats up and pulls a breeze in from the sea in the afternoon. In Croatia it is called the maestral, in the Ionian the maistro: a north-westerly that builds from late morning to a pleasant Force 3–4 and fades at sunset.
• These breezes give the classic charter rhythm: a calm morning swim, a good sail after lunch, a quiet evening.

Meltemi (Aegean Greece and Turkey)

• A northerly summer wind across the Aegean, strongest in July and August.
• It can blow Force 5–7 for several days, strongest in the afternoon, and it raises a short, steep sea.
• Plan the week so you sail downwind, south, in the afternoons; head north early in the morning or on calmer days.
• The Saronic Gulf near Athens is more sheltered than the open Cyclades.

Bora (Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro)

• A cold north-easterly that falls down the coastal mountains in strong, sudden gusts. More common outside summer, but it can come at any time of year.
• It can arrive quickly, sometimes with little warning beyond clouds on the mountain tops. The sea stays fairly flat near the coast, but the gusts are violent.
• Choose harbours and anchorages sheltered from the north-east when a bora is forecast, and lay plenty of chain.

Jugo / sirocco (from the south-east)

• A warm, humid wind from the south-east that usually builds over a day or two, often with cloud and rain.
• In the Adriatic, where it is called the jugo, it raises a long, heavy swell along the coast. Harbours open to the south-east become uncomfortable.
• Further south it can carry Saharan dust and haze.

Mistral and tramontana (France, Corsica, Sardinia, Balearics)

• The mistral is a cold northerly to north-westerly that blows down the Rhône valley into the Gulf of Lion. It can be strong for several days and reaches Corsica, northern Sardinia and the Balearics.
• The Strait of Bonifacio, between Corsica and Sardinia, accelerates the westerly winds: it can be much windier there than a few miles away.
• The tramontana is a northerly wind in the Balearics, Catalonia and Italy; on Mallorca's north coast it makes the bays exposed.

Other names you will hear

• Levante: an easterly, notably in the Balearics and near Gibraltar.
• Libeccio: a south-westerly on the west coast of Italy and Corsica, which can raise a big sea.
• Etesians: the formal name for the meltemi.

Ask the base which wind they worry about that week and which harbours give shelter from it. Every charter area has one.