In the ancient times winds were percieved as the deed of gods. Although their genesis has a simple explanation, few thousand years ago people have started to successfully use wind for boat motion and built the first windmill even though they didn't know how and when wind would appear. Genesis of winds has just a houndred years ago crossed from the domain of gods and saints to the domain of physics, especially physics of atmosphere more often called meteorology.
Adriatic wind rose is compounded out of eight primary winds whose major direction of blowing is on one of the eight basic sides of the world. Every wind has some characterictic that helps us to predict whether it is going to intensify, stop or stay the same. However, knowing the wind helps us to catch the right one which would lead us to our goal. Today yachtsman, as the last winds keepers, tame the waves in search for adventure and challanges of nature.
MISTRAL
Mistral is thermic daily wind that comes from northwest. He is a result of temperature difference between the sea and the land. The colder is the sea the warmer is the land – that is when maestral is stronger. This wind will blow every afternoon as long as it's a nice day, reach it's peak around five O'clock in the afternoon and end as the evening comes. As a soft and even wind mistral is suitable for learning new fun technics or freestyle tricks.
Many don't know that mistral evolves compounding two other winds: one that strikes a vast area (etezija) and a local one (zmorac). These two winds make mistral which is especially strong on locations where their directions are the same. Mistral brings healthier and colder air form the sea so it is very refreshing in the summer. It can be unpleasently strong only in tight canals between the islands facing northwest where it makes high waves.
JUGO
If mistral is the wind you wish for, than jugo is comlete opposit. It's a wind that comes from southeast. The position of our coast and hills by the coast amplifies this wind. Jugo starts as a week wind which progessivly gets stronger. On the sea it can create waves up to 10 m high!
Jugo is present during the whole year, on north Adriatic mostly in the spring and on south in the autumn and winter. It brings wormth and is accompanied with high moisture, cloudy weather, rain and sometimes thunder.
BURA
Bura is the most significant wind on the Ardiatic. The name comes from greek word boreas which means north, hill, wind that blows from the hill... It's a wind that comes from northeast and is pretty strong wind that can occasionally become a real hurricane. In the Adriatic people have measured bura which blows even faster than 200 km per hour!
Strong bura can blow any time during the year, but is strongest in winter from October to March. It appears mostly on the north part of the Adriatic. Its length depends on many factors. It can blow only for few hours and it can just as easily last a whole month!
Tramuntana
is a north cold wind that announces nice and comfortable weather. Grego
is mild or strong northeast wind that brings cold but sunny weather. Eastern
wind that brings cloudy and rainy weather is called levant, and
southern warm wind is oštro. Lebić is southwest dry and warm
wind that comes after jugo.
The most
significant winds of the Adriatic are bura jugo and mistral. And not just
because they are the most common ones but because of their great influence
on the lives of people and their maritime activities.
Let's finish this story about winds with an old saying: "Anca el macaco sa navigar col bon vento" (Even a fool can sail with a good wind).