Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 20-01-2014, 18:05   #1
Registered User
 
Barra's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Australia
Boat: between boats
Posts: 1,022
Ionian Weather in April

Hi all

Left the pilots on the boat.

Can anyone tell me please what kind of weather (rain and wind strength, direction) I can expect in April in Greek Ionion waters? Looks like we will be back on board about a month earlier than planned in early April but concerned that may still be quite wet in those parts?

We will either stick around there if its nice or push on through to agean where im pretty sure April/ May are very pleasant right?

thanks
Barra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-01-2014, 17:25   #2
Elvish meaning 'Far-Wanderer'
 
Palarran's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boat - Greece - Me - Michigan
Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises
Posts: 3,489
Re: Ionian Weather in April

I found this site for weather. It is really cool. It should give you the info you are looking for. Type Corfu Greece in the lookup box

Beautiful Weather Graphs and Maps - WeatherSpark#
__________________
Our course is set for an uncharted sea
Dante
Palarran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-01-2014, 17:37   #3
Registered User
 
Barra's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Australia
Boat: between boats
Posts: 1,022
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Thats an awesome site for research. Thanks heaps.

Think its agean here we come - April looks a little iffy in Preveza whereas in Cyclades it looks perfect.
Barra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-01-2014, 17:49   #4
Marine Service Provider

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Marmaris
Boat: FP Orana 2010, Hélia 2013, Catana C 47 2013, Nautitech 46 Fly 2018
Posts: 1,345
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Statistics for the month of April suggest air and sea water temp 16 degrees Celcius, calm days 6, chance of having winds more than F 8 2%, 65 % of winds are frorm east and noth east at F4..
Cheers
Yeloya
yeloya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2014, 10:46   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Naxos Greece
Boat: Lidgard 50ft performance cat/ Canados50s
Posts: 766
Images: 16
Send a message via Skype™ to beneteau-500
Re: Ionian Weather in April

cyclades is renowned for high s/e winds in april and for past 2 yrs they have been on occasions hitting f7 2012 was bad in fact i was stuck in syros for 2 weeks this yr i was stuck in astypalyia from 19/4/2013 for 9 days with high f6/f7 s/e winds , around the saronic area is usually very good in april
beneteau-500 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2014, 11:35   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 5,983
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Depends on the year of course but our experience was quite good, we arrived in Lefkas April 15 and other than the odd day of rain showers it was always in the low to mid 20's during the day and sunny. Winds were generally sea breezes with the odd blow that lasted a day.
robert sailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2014, 15:48   #7
Registered User
 
Barra's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Australia
Boat: between boats
Posts: 1,022
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Thanks Guys. Seems 2012 was a terrible one for aegean at the start as well as the middle of the season then from all accounts.

According to weather spark from Palarran above you both had atypical experiences in April in Ionion and cyclades respectively - should have rained every 3rd day for you Robert and 75% of daily max winds should have been under 19 knots for you Beneteau with less than 20% from the south east.

I was after the real world feedback so thanks gents. I guess its confirmed what I already know about the med in april and that is anything can happen! ( we had 4 tramontanes back to back in april in Gulf of Lyon last year)

Saronic might be a good hedge since ill probably pick the admiral up from Athens anyway but I guess ill just play it as i see it and stay flexible (till the admirals on board anyway)

cheers
Barra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2014, 16:31   #8
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Portland, OR
Boat: Morgan 384, 38 ft
Posts: 44
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Ha! That's funny, we were sailing the Cyclades the last 2 weeks of April 2012 and it was quite extreme: often F7 & F8s. Maybe some F9s but we were afraid to look at the wind instruments. We were thinking that people were crazy for sailing there/then until we realized that almost nobody else was sailing there/then. We loved the place and want to go back, but we will only do it when there is a higher chance of more mellow sailing, like in May.
__________________
Portland, Oregon. Pacific Northwest USA
AKMark is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2014, 02:15   #9
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: UK winter, Greece summer
Boat: Charter vessels!
Posts: 318
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Over a period of 4 weeks in the Ionian in April you can expect between 2 and 4 periods of unsettled weather; the rest of the time will be sunny with light winds and very nice.

Periods of unsettled weather can last from 2 to 4 days. They are the periods when there is significant cloud cover, usually associated with a low. Small wind gradients at these latitudes can create brisk winds as the low approaches or recedes. These may last up to 12 hours or so, but as pointed out above, rarely reach force 7 or more. Periods of unsettled weather are well forecast, and at least half of them bring heavy rain.

What is a lot more vicious is when these periods contain nests of thunderstorms. This is much less common in spring than in autumn. However, thunderstorms bring the risk of short periods (15 - 30 mins) of extreme wind - 40kts or so. Knock you over stuff.

So you may be lucky in a month - only 2 sessions of unsettled weather, one with significant rain, and no thunderstorms. Or you may be unlucky, with four sessions - 12 days of cloud, 6 with significant rain, and 2 sessions of thunderstorms. A bit like a bad British summer.

It all depends where the jet streams are running that year.

The above observations are based on 15 years of charter operations in the Ionian, usually preparing boats, chartering them only in late April. On average, too wet before that!

JimB
jckb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2014, 03:18   #10
Moderator
 
Seaworthy Lass's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Oct 2008
Boat: Bestevaer 49
Posts: 16,151
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barra View Post
Hi all

Left the pilots on the boat.

Can anyone tell me please what kind of weather (rain and wind strength, direction) I can expect in April in Greek Ionion waters? Looks like we will be back on board about a month earlier than planned in early April but concerned that may still be quite wet in those parts?

We will either stick around there if its nice or push on through to agean where im pretty sure April/ May are very pleasant right?

thanks
We have spent two springs in the Ionian and three in the Aegean now. Winds I would say have been equally variable in both, but (unlike autumn and winter) nothing over 45 knots and only infrequently above 35. The Aegean is a bit warmer and drier.

All Greek islands are lovely in spring, as they are carpeted in wildflowers. Having said that, Ithaca in the Ionian is by far the most beautiful I have encountered and I have had some absolutely magical walks there in April. It is an experience not to be missed if you are in the area.

If you have the good anchoring and wet weather gear "just in case", I would make the most of the Ionian in April.
__________________
SWL (enthusiastic amateur)
"To me the simple act of tying a knot is an adventure in unlimited space." Clifford Ashley
"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." Isak Dinesen

Unveiling Bullseye strops for low friction rings
Seaworthy Lass is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2014, 17:45   #11
Registered User
 
Barra's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Australia
Boat: between boats
Posts: 1,022
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Thanks Jim very comprehensive summary much appreciated.

SW Lass - thanks for the reply and yes we know how nice the ionion is - we arrived there last august from the adriatic and never got any further which is why we are returning now!

Part of the problem will be if we do get nice weather in April there we may wind up still there in June again and I do want to see the rest of greece and turkey before we turn around

Fingers crossed we get some nice weather early on and then a front to keep us moving east...
Barra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2014, 19:02   #12
Moderator
 
Seaworthy Lass's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Oct 2008
Boat: Bestevaer 49
Posts: 16,151
Re: Ionian Weather in April

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barra View Post
Thanks Jim very comprehensive summary much appreciated.

SW Lass - thanks for the reply and yes we know how nice the ionion is - we arrived there last august from the adriatic and never got any further which is why we are returning now!

Part of the problem will be if we do get nice weather in April there we may wind up still there in June again and I do want to see the rest of greece and turkey before we turn around

Fingers crossed we get some nice weather early on and then a front to keep us moving east...
If you decide to go slowly around the bottom of the Peloponnese (a beautiful area and unlike the Saronic, totally free of charterers), there are two good options for protection against southerlies if the wind veers in spring: Pilos on the E side close to the S tip and Porto Kayo on the S side close to the E tip. Kalamata marina is also a possibility, but very industrial. In summer southerlies are extremely rare in this region.

People tend to whizz through this zone, but it is a great option in summer if you want to avoid the meltemi. On the way down if the winds are light, the Strophades group is worth diverting to.
__________________
SWL (enthusiastic amateur)
"To me the simple act of tying a knot is an adventure in unlimited space." Clifford Ashley
"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." Isak Dinesen

Unveiling Bullseye strops for low friction rings
Seaworthy Lass is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
ionian, weather

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:47.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.