Weather, Winds and Clouds: What are the basic notions that a yachtsman cannot miss while sailing?

What meteorological notions do you need to know before planning a boat trip? What winds blow the main boat charter destination coasts? How to best decide your destination depending on the year period?

These are questions that every self-respecting yachtsman should be able to answer. Here are what we think are the basics:

It is important to know how to “read” the clouds correctly to predict the short-term weather.

A self-respecting sailor cannot just look at the sea, he must also raise his eyes to the sky and know how to read the signals it sends us during navigation. Knowing how to distinguish the main cloud formations is essential for navigating safely, knowing in time to foresee any unexpected weather worsening.

In meteorology, clouds are classified according to their altitude and their extent. In fact, we can find 3 main clouds categories: high clouds, medium clouds, and low clouds.

High clouds are essentially made up of tiny ice crystals and comprise three different types of clouds:

the cirrus clouds, thin, whitish, transparent, and very high clouds. They are easily recognizable because they are whiter than any other cloud; the cirrocumulus, clouds arranged in thin layers, more or less extended, through which it is possible to clearly see the position of the sun or the moon; the cirrostratus, very high and thin clouds that form a thin white layer that often covers the entire sky and gives it a milky appearance.

Cirrocumulus herald the arrival of a warm front and, unlike cirrus and cirrostratus, indicate the arrival of rain.

The medium clouds are instead classified into high-layer clouds, which form a cloudy layer that totally or partially covers the sky, gray tending to blue colored. A high layers sky certainly indicates that precipitation of rain or snow is near; altocumulus forms at the same heights as the stratocumulus. They appear in white and gray banks, sometimes taking on bizarre shapes.

The low clouds are finally found below 2000 meters of altitude, generating abundant rains or snowfalls, in relation to the temperature. They are divided into strata, the lowest of all the clouds that can sometimes reach the ground. They are gray color clouds, with the base extended like a uniform carpet that can extend for many kilometers. Due to their thickness, they do not normally cause precipitation but in some cases, they can give rise to drizzles; stratocumulus, which occurs in large dark and rounded clusters, gray-purple in their lower part. They do not always give rise to precipitation, in which case they are of low intensity; nimbostratus, low stratified clouds, generally dark gray with an often not well-defined base. The sky is dark and gloomy and often you need to turn lights on.

It is essential knowing how to distinguish the wind type blowing on your sails.

Depending on the place and period chosen to sail on a boat trip, both sailing and motor, it is necessary to know which winds await us during navigation.

In fact, an experienced sailor knows how to distinguish the types of wind based on intensity, origin, and temperature, acting accordingly to steer the boat.

We list below the best known (and feared) winds, divided by the interesting tourist destinations:

In the Mediterranean basin, the Cyclades, Greek islands located in the Aegean Sea, are the classic example of a very popular location that hosts a strong and unpredictable wind. We are talking about the Meltemi, a dry wind that blows from north to south especially in the months of July and August. The strength of the Meltemi is known to be very tough, creating prohibitive conditions even for the most experienced sailors. If you do not feel ready to face it, our advice is to choose a different period, such as the months of April or May or September and October. Alternatively, opt for the Ionian islands, another Greek archipelago far from the Meltemi.

Always remaining in the Mediterranean Sea, another classic destination is Italy. Due to its elongated shape, the Italian peninsula is lashed by different air currents, more or less localized in some of its particular areas.

The Mistral wind, for example, affects the north-western side of Italy and in particular Sardinia. Winds of this type are strong and cold and can reach considerable speeds of up to over 150 kilometers per hour. Although it occurs mainly in winter, the mistral phenomena can occur at any time of the year.

Similar to the Mistral but less intense and strong are the Tramontana winds, which also blow from north to south, skirting the western Italian coasts.

The Sirocco wind is instead characterized by humid air coming from the southeast, from Africa, sometimes bringing sands from the Sahara. However, the sirocco winds are constant throughout the year and, except in rare cases, do not give rise to strong storms.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the famous Bora, a wind that laps the northeast of Italy and a large part of the Croatian coast. It is an impetuous and very cold wind that fortunately has its peak during the winter.

If we talk about strong winds in the Mediterranean, the situation changes if we move to the Caribbean Sea. Here, the trade winds are the masters, but generally, they do not represent a big problem and rather are the “engine” that pushes the boats far and wide.

On the other hand, boaters are worried about hurricanes that are unleashed regularly. Hurricane season has its peak from June to October but can also affect November and December. 

Hurricanes and tropical storms are created by warm water and humid air masses that are strengthened by absorbing heat in the Caribbean and then gradually diminish in intensity upon reaching the mainland coast.

Finally, Southeast Asia is one of the destinations most affected by monsoons. Here too, as in the Caribbean Sea, these strong disturbances are not caused by a particular wind but by

masses of warm and humid air coming from the south. The main monsoons begin to manifest themselves in May and June although the peak is reached in the period between August and October. Tourist resorts that are most affected are obviously those close to the equatorial line such as Thailand (the south-western part), Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Always check the weather forecast before and during navigation.

In general, as we have seen, weather plays an extremely important role in the success of a sailing holiday.

For this reason, in addition to the notions, we have talked about, when on a boat it is important to always keep an eye on the weather situation, regularly consulting a reliable weather service.

Contact  now YBH Charter Brokers:

You can contact us by sending an email at ask@yourboatholiday.com or by phone, calling +39 33436 00997, available also on WhatsApp for both calls and texting.