Karpathos Strait: Strong katabatic winds

On the map

The map shows this spot. You can pan, zoom and click the other spots.

Karpathos Strait: how the place works

The meltemi accelerates between Crete, Karpathos and Rhodes and regularly reaches gale force in high summer while it is still calm twenty miles further west. The nozzle stands for days, and the sea turns steep over the short fetch between the islands.

Karpathos Strait: what breaks there

Anyone heading from Rhodes to Crete goes to windward and collects damage to sails, furling gear and fittings. Boats anchored in the bays on the north sides drag, and berthing in the small harbours regularly goes wrong with the wind on the beam.

Karpathos Strait: what this means for your policy

Before the trip, settle how your policy treats sail damage and whether there is a wind force limit above which putting to sea counts as gross negligence. In high summer that limit is often reached here.

Cruising range

In the calculator this spot falls under + Mediterranean

Nearby