Sailing from Split to Corfu

[cpthook]

Hi

Any ideas how long it would take presuming we do no night sailing?
Is there much wind day/night this time of year and in which direction
are the winds generally? What are the stops like in Montenegro and Albania?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Roberto]

Distance should be around 300nm. I would avoid at all costs stopping in Albanian ports...herr let s rather say shelters; do not know much about Montenegro recently but apart from boka kotorska there are not many ports anyway.
It is much much better to skip Albania crossing the adriatic towards the italian coast, go south as far as Otranto (the last town on the heel of the boot) and then cross the otranto channel with course to Fano island, just in front of Corfu. The strait can be quite windy (usually either NW or SE) with choppy seas: apart from very stable baric configurations (which are quite rare) it is worth considering going back, wait a day and then try again with more luck the day after.

A possible course would include going from Split to Dubrovnik (wonderful places, plenty of islands, shelters, coves, etc), then cross south west towards Bari, then from Bari south east along the coast as far as Otranto. This involves one night sailing with a 120/150nm passage from Dubr to Bari: wind should be either nw or se so it should not be too uncomfortable.
Otherwise, if you prefer feeling the visual/emotional comfort of lighthouses, from Split go to the island of Vis or Lastovo, from there you begin crossing the adriatic towards the small island of Palagruza, then from there towards italy: weather permitting you lose sight of a lighthouse when you have already the next one on your bow.
Careful in entering the port of Brindisi at night: an oil terminal with powerful yellow lights, a semi submerged pipeline, a long breakwater... better try it during the day.
The adriatic being a warm sea, at night squalls and thunderstorm cells are not infrequent, do not worry too much it can blow 7/8/9 for a few hours and the completely stop and you find yourself motoring in a swell...