Every culture, region, or community have their own legends, beliefs and experience which help them establish when one season of the year ends, and another begins. The same goes for people whose livelihoods depend on nature. Better than anyone else, they have learned to predict the weather and recognize the shift of the seasons. This post talks about such people in the coastal region of Croatia.
Maestral, also called zmorac, is a summer breeze blowing in the Croatian Adriatic. It is a moderate wind that reaches its peak between 2 and 3 PM and dies with the sun. It is perfect for lazy sailing and relaxing. Maestral is a sign of a stable atmosphere and brings just the right waves for sailing.
According to long-term seasonal weather forecasts, this summer in the Adriatic will be exceptionally warm and sunny. This means that the weather will be substantially different from the last year’s weather, characterized by constant rains and bad temperatures. This news will satisfy all visitors who are planning to charter a yacht and sail the Croatian Adriatic!
In case of a storm it is always recommended to leave the anchorage and your berth in the port until the storm passes. An old seafarers prayer says “Dear God, may my boat save me from the sea and I will save it from the shore”, meaning that no storm will last forever and that it is better to sail out and keep away from the shore during the storm.
The trade winds, or simply the trades, are prevailing pattern of easterly surface wind blowing from the northeast on the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast on the South Hemisphere. They blow all around the Earth near the equator except in South Asia.
Although the summer weather this year was far from the usual, the end of summer should still be celebrated. At the Adriatic it is done by organizing a grand regatta – Regatta Mrduja that will be held for the 83rd time between Split and the islet Mrduja. Local sailors consider it a family tradition.
Jugo is a warm and humid wind in the Croatian Adriatic that blows from the SE. It brings bad weather and clouds and lasts from three to five days. Jugo is also characteristic for the mood it brings and the way it affects Dalmatians. This mood includes slight headache, disorientation, dizziness and bad temper.
A skipper has to have a basic knowledge of meteorology, especially when it comes to long distance sailing. The Aladin model, published every day at 6 a.m. by Croatian national Meteorological and Hydrological Service, was launched in 1990 by Meteo-France in order to get a reliable forecast for smaller areas. Aladin is really helpful and many skippers rely on it.
Horse latitudes refer to the area between 30° and 35° both north and south of the equator. Also known as subtropical highs, this area has variable and mostly calm winds. The origin of the horses in the name comes either from English or from Spanish.
The monsoon climate, in South and Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean and some regions in North Australia and Eastern Africa, is characteristic for monsoon winds. Monsoons seasonally change their direction and characteristics, blowing from the sea in the summer and from the continent in the winter.
