Most people think that the
Ionian is plagued with benign
weather conditions but those that regularly sail there realise that can provide some interesting
weather and exhilarating sailing conditions.
During the height of the season the weather is usually quite predictable with regular Maestro winds blowing from the Northwest. These winds usually blow from mid-afternoon onwards and can be anywhere between F3-6 depending in what area of the
Ionian you are cruising. During the 2011 season, several storms interrupted the predictable conditions.
This clip shows a residual moderate sea immediately after a gale had blown from the West for a day. We are hard pressed, although winds were moderating (c.25-30knots) and making towards the top of the Ithaca Straight separating Kefalonia and Ithaca.
We were well reefed, to minimise leeway, but still maintaining 6-7knots. We could have pointed higher into the
wind but the flat fore-foot of the
Bavaria 40 was prone to slamming and slowed the yacht considerably. The high land on Lefkas and Kefalonia squeeze the westerly
wind in a Venturi type effect and create an acceleration zone.
The wind coupled with the residual sea made for very exhilarating sailing. However, the conditions meant that most yachts were stormbound for the day, and space was limited in Fiscardho on Kefalonia. However we managed to get some space and were rewarded a fantastic meal in the Lord Falcon, the Ionians only Thai restaurant (:
hard pressed in the Ionian.mov - YouTube
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