Sunday 15 August

A change in the weather is forecast for Sunday. The Finns, Ynglings and 470's started their Olympic regatta in an 8 to 11 knot sea breeze. Those who join them racing today, the Mistral, Laser & Europe could see very different conditions.

The Meltemi, a hot, dry and very shifty offshore wind is forecast to blow across Athens for the next few days. It will gradually increase during Sunday reaching above 20 knots by Monday. However Sunday's wind on the water is likely to be much lighter than this due to the extreme heating in the Athens area which will still try to drive an onshore sea breeze. This means that there is the potential for the offshore Meltemi wind to fight the onshore sea breeze, which could lead to quite different conditions across the race courses.

Theyr's chart shows stronger winds, in the brown shaded area approaching the Athens Peninsular, but these soon turn to green colours i.e. lighter winds on the sailing side of the city indicating this potentially fighting situation. Speeds could range from 10 to 18 knots in the Meltemi, to 4 to 10 knots in the sea breeze, with a chance of almost no wind for a time in between the two. Unfortunately for the sailors this period of battling breezes is most likely to occur around 1300 to 1500.

http://theyr.net/cg/cny/F=js*v*040815*10*GR*gr_Athina

MS note - With 2 hours to go before start of racing northerly breeze is starting to increase already - Meltemi early?
Yachting World, 15 August 2004