The mad dash acoss the Aegean

[daveg45]

Hi all

After talking to people I get the impression the Aegean is a 'sea of passage' and the gauntlet must be run by the end of June as people dash from west to East before the meltimi kicks in.

I am trying to plan my summer and potentially 6 months aboard sailing although I will have to make contingency for crew changes along the way.

So my question is this. Assuming I reach the southern tip of the Peloponnese by say end of May/early June from Preveza. Should I head across to the Dodecanese and sail around there or head north to the Northern Sporades and cross the Aegean at the top working my way south? My winter requirements would be somewhere to lift the boat and get a flight to the u be that Greece or Turkey. Unfortunately I will be an unwilling migratory swallow unless I take the boat to so we here more accessible for winter like Sicily for example.

Does the meltimi really put a dampers on mooching around the islands? That been said, some decent wind after the Ionian would be most welcome.

You input as always is most welcome.

 

[sailaboutvic]

At one time I spent five years based in kos marina and we managed to sail from April to Nov without much of a problem , there plenty of islands to tuck away if it really starts to blow

 

[Glyka]

If you don't have a tight schedule you will most probably (9 out of 10 summers) enjoy it very much. Crew changes may pose timing problems though. Having to be somewhere on a certain date can add unnecessary stress. Try to arrange them in nice places/harbors so that you can be there one or more days earlier and enjoy waiting.
I am Greek and always have 4-5 weeks' sailing holidays in the Aegean. I have only been once in the Ionian and that was enough for me.
P.S. I almost regret sharing this information as the rumors about the Aegean are a blessing.

 

[Palarran]

Dave,
I haven't been in a Meltemi yet but quite honestly can't figure out why there is so much emphasis put on this wind. According to pilot books, the wind usually is force 6-7 and sometimes (rarely) 8. This is a maximum wind speed of 40 knots. Ok, you may not want to sail in it, but it's not catastrophic.

Last year we had two Bora's in Croatia. They where actually nice for a change. Gave you something to sail with compared to under 10 knot days. In the Caribbean you would be dealing with winds this strength often. The biggest problem IMO is those anchored around you who have undersized anchors.

I'll be doing the Northern Sporades and working towards Rhodes and back to the Ionian at the same time as you. Keep a look out for a cat named Palarran.

 

[affinite]

Dave
We moved our boat from the Ionian to the Dodecanese (Leros) 4 years ago and we love it.
I dont think I would describe the summer sailing as "mooching" but as mentioned above, avoiding the lee sides of some of the islands and not sailing to a fixed schedule will keep you away from the worst of the Meltemi

To be honest, my crew isnt too keen on full blooded Meltemi sailing so we avoid the Cyclades in summer but the Dodec islands are fine and if it gets too boisterous, we just nip over to the Turkish Gulfs for a bit of "mooching"
Afraid I cant advise on routes across; there are people on the forum better qualified - we just sailed straight across with wind mostly on the port quarter.
All the best - Look out for S/Y "Canopus" when you get there.
Steve

 

[vyv_cox]

It can be quite windy in the Cyclades in August, by which I mean force 6-8. Downwind not too much of a problem, upwind quite testing. Outside the Cyclades, and particularly in the Saronic, the wind strength is a lot less. If rounding the Peloponnese anti-clockwise I doubt that you will experience a lot of strong wind heading north up the Greek mainland and this is a very pleasant cruising area. You could then cross to Kea and Kithnos on a beam reach, perhaps when the wind was a little lighter, and gradually move across. Or, as you suggest, go inside Evia to the Sporades, a cruise that we can recommend as being most enjoyable. We waited in Lavrion for nearly a week in heavy winds but once north of there it was far quieter.

As seems common with the weather these days, the meltemi varies quite a lot. Three years ago July was almost flat calm throughout and August was relatively quiet. Two years ago it blew very strongly throughout both months. You never know!

 

[KellysEye]

If you do encounter a Meltemi and want to head north sail over to the Greek coast where he wind drops. In strong Meltemis the ferries stop running.

 

[tri39]

It would certainly make sense after rounding the Peloponnese anticlockwise, to then tour the Aegean clockwise.
The east coast of the Pelopon often has southerly winds. If it's howling from the north you can anchor in the lee of Monemvasia
awaiting the return of southerlies.

 

[Borden]

Like you I was more than a little concerned about crossing the Aegean as we'd head it could be nasty. Here are a few tips for what they are worth.

We migrated from the Ionian to Didim in Turkey via the Corinth canal in September 2012. Half our crew got off at Athens leaving my wife and I to cross the Aegean. As it turned out we island hopped in day sails and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The most boisterous leg was Kea to Syros where the wind funnels down between the big islands to the north, this is well documented in the pilots. As said in several posts above, plan to keep the wind on the beam wherever possible, avoid lee shores when the wind is strong by passing to the south of islands. Keep an eye on the forecasts. Be prepared to hole up for possibly 5 days if there's a really bad blow as there was last September when we stayed put in Leros until things calmed down. Be flexible with your plan. Choose your bolt holes with care and reference to the pilot. The sea can kick up quite badly with a short and confused pattern which can make things uncomfortable depending on the size of your boat. We're 47ft and 23 tonnes so not so much of an issue.
As for bolt holes, we found some anchorages had big wind eddies and swells which need to be considered when choosing your spot to anchor if it's blowing.
Having said all that it's a great place to sail and you won't encounter so much traffic as in the Ionian. We did Athens to Didim in 10 days and enjoyed it. My general tip would be to plan a northerly arc towards your destination then you can always run down wind for a leg if necessary without having to make up lost ground later.

This year we are making our way south from Didim to Kaş. Look out for us. Moody 47 Solent Venture.

Before someone posts asking why we rushed to do it in 10 days. My wife still works, I'm lucky and am retired.

 

[Tony Cross]

Dave,
I haven't been in a Meltemi yet but quite honestly can't figure out why there is so much emphasis put on this wind. According to pilot books, the wind usually is force 6-7 and sometimes (rarely) 8. This is a maximum wind speed of 40 knots. Ok, you may not want to sail in it, but it's not catastrophic.

It's not so much the wind, which is manageable, it's the seas that it builds. As you'll know the Med seas are generally short, sharp and steep and they are especially so during a Meltemi.

 

[vyv_cox]

It's not so much the wind, which is manageable, it's the seas that it builds. As you'll know the Med seas are generally short, sharp and steep and they are especially so during a Meltemi.

Indeed. We have been told that even large ships avoid the Kafireas Strait at the height of the meltemi. I feel sure it is not because of force 8 winds.

 

[Palarran]

Hi Tony,
I know more about short steep seas from living on Lake Michigan in the States then sailing in the Med because the darn wind so seldom blows (in the med). Maybe someday I'll regret whining about that.

Without a doubt you don't want to get pounded by curlers constantly. Fortunately the fetch between islands seems so small and the depths relatively deep that the waves should be short, steep, and not breaking. Speed is a big factor and probably why larger ferry boats don't want to go in bad conditions. They could, just slowly. It helps that I have a pretty big boat also.

 

[daveg45]

Thanks for all the input and information. I really appreciate it and feel much better about this given I will not have the strongest of crew at times. Are we talking about this kind of sea then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIi2RM6xHSM

 

[Palarran]

That looks pretty nice. Here's my F8 400 miles west of Horta. I'd prefer to avoid those seas again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PqrDJbPv8I

 

[vyv_cox]

Thanks for all the input and information. I really appreciate it and feel much better about this given I will not have the strongest of crew at times. Are we talking about this kind of sea then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIi2RM6xHSM

A short video clip of mine that is similar to that one is included in the talk I am giving to the CA Med section this coming Sunday. Taken crossing from Sifnos to Anti-Paros. Less wind than that but similar seas. The previous day was relatively quiet, meaning that the seas built to that level in well under 24 hours.

 

[daveg45]

I have only been once in the Ionian and that was enough for me.
P.S. I almost regret sharing this information as the rumors about the Aegean are a blessing.

Glyka I am glad you did share the information. My opinion of the Ionian is similar to yours. The thought of sailing in it for another summer would have me point west i think.

 

[affinite]

Glyka I am glad you did share the information. My opinion of the Ionian is similar to yours. The thought of sailing in it for another summer would have me point west i think.

I have met cruisers who, having moved to the Agean have returned to the Ionian or gone to the Gulfs of Turkey for "gentler" summer cruising.

 

[KellysEye]

>It would certainly make sense after rounding the Peloponnese anticlockwise

Agree, bear in mind that three depression tracks meet at the Peloponnese so there are regular gales. Sunsail opened a base there and closed it after six months. We had one gale and used it to sail north.

 

[Borden]

I've just downloaded a GRIB for the Central Aegean. The wind is due to get up on Saturday morning from the NNE starting at 25k and rising to 30k on Sunday & Monday. The GRIB ends on Tuesday morning but even then it's still forecasting 25k. This is a bit early for the Meltimi isn't it?

 

[vyv_cox]

There are often strong southerlies early in the season. Two years ago on Leros we had a blow that someone measured at 58 knots. Last year it was rather less but a bulldozer was needed to clear the gravel off the roads around Lakki Bay.