Lake Garda

I'll be spending some time in northern Italy next September. Does anyone know if I can expect good winds at that time? Thinking mainly of hiring some gear at Lake Garda. I've had a look on Windfinder but there don't seem to be any past stats for the lake.

Might be better to ask the question on the Starboard forum.

Yes september is a good time in Lake Garda, you can find wind every day, early in the morning there is Peler wind, sometimes you can use also the 4.2 with big chop, you can take this wind in Malcesine or in Prà (North Lake); in the afternoon there is Ora wind often around 16/18 nodes, you can take this wind in Torbole or at Hotel Pier (North Lake). If there is Bora wind (NE) you can go in Chioggia 2 hours drive from Lake Garda in the Adriatic sea, often is very strong and with good waves for jumping.

So, i am in Perth, please you can tell me the windsurfing sea spots close to it.

I am sorry about my English, i am Italian...

Federico

federicoradi speak to alberto at WINDSHACK about wave spots.
he will help you 4 sure.

ah... let me tell you about lake Garada...

I am originally from Germany and used to spend every other weekend there. Plenty of good memories.

The season there last from about the beginnig of May to the end of September. Some hardcore people do go sailing outside of that time but the lake water can be very very cold... especially around March/ April.

There are three main winds you will encounter on the northern end of Lake Garda:

1) Vento: blows north to south, mainly in the mornings but can last all day, it's a thermal wind generated by cold air over the mountains (usually due to Thunderstorms or snow) and warm air over the southern end of the lake.

The wind can be accelerated if there is a low pressure system pushing against the Alps from the North. When that happens the Vento will usually blow all day and often reach 35 knts plus. A normal Vento however will start around midnight and be gone by about 11 am. It's generally strongest just after sunrise... unless you have the low pressure combo in which case it's hard to predict when it's strongest...

The best spot for a Vento is Malcesine on the West Side and Al Pra on the east side of the lake. Most people seem to favour Al Pra because it has a better launch and more parking plus it does seem to get better chop. I have seen sails nearly disappear between the swell when it gets really windy.... read 40knts plus.

2) Ora: This is the opposite to the Vento and needs air north of the lake heating up. This wind generally only happens if there is clear sky and it does need a minimum air temperature to work.

A good Ora day usually happens when there was a Thunderstorm over the mountains the night before and the Vento in the morning is only week. On a strong Ora day the wind will start about 11am and blow strongest around 3pm.

The Ora is usually strongest along the stretch between just North of Al Pra and just South of Riva (btw, they shot the last James Bond film along this stretch of road) on the East side of the lake. However, there is limited to no parking and access to the water is limited to about 3 spots. There used to be a windsurf centre run by Michi Bouwmester which apparently changed hands. They will charge you an arm and a leg to park there and use their "beach"... and I use the term beach very loosely. On the West side of the lake you can sail at the climbing rock just South from Torbole. It used to sail this place most of the time because you could actually camp here and rarely be hassled by police. The wind is as good as on the other side.

You can also sail from the event site in Torbole (there is gear rental available) but the wind is more gusty and you usually have to fight have of southern Germany out on the water. In a really strong Ora you can expect some pretty decent ramps for jumping around this area.

3) Poniente: This wind only happens when there is a Thunderstorm over in the mountains above the west side of the lake. This happens about 3 or 4 times during summer but will produce 40knt plus wind. You can see the wind rolling across the lake and rig your 4.0... It's pretty awesome to watch but keep an eye out for the wind dropping.. it will do so very fast.


Another thing to remember is that at Lake Garda (like elsewhere in Italy) you are legally required to wear a floatation device while doing any water sport activity. I have only every seen this rule enforced at Lake Garda but during high season the police gets pretty aggressive about this. A mate of mine once got chased by the police boat across the entire lake only to be greeted by a police car when he tried to run away when he got to the other side... penalty used to be $150 but I assume this is a lot more these days. If you can't pay they will confiscate your gear and take it back to the station.

Also, most spots along the lake will charge you for parking. It's a bit better outside the main holiday period which lasts from mid June to mid September...

There are some really good and inexpensive food options especially if you go to Arco rather than eating in Torbole or Riva... plenty of decent cheap house wine in most restaurants...

... you might also need a car to get around. I used to do a lot of hitch hiking or riding mountain bikes due to the crazy parking situation... eg drop your gear at the spot then drive back to Riva to park the car followed by riding your mountain bike or hitch hiking back to your gear.

don't worry about learning Italian... get a phase book for the most important things... numbers... food... different alcoholic beverages etc. You'll get by easily. You'll find most people will speak at least some level of English. No problem at all in the windsurf rental stations.

RE switzerland... make sure you pack the credit card... you'll be going through money like there is no tomorrow. Not sure what it's like at the moment but a couple of years ago everything there seemed to cost a premium compared to the rest of Europe.