“Talking to the wind” (King Crimson)

Lake Garda is a mountain lake which sits on the top of a huge plan called “Pianura Padana”. During the warm season, this creates the perfect conditions for thermal winds. In upper Garda, there are two typical thermal winds: one from the south, called Ora, and one from the north, called Pelèr.

Summer southerly breeze in Malcesine comes every day early in the afternoon, when the morning northerly drops down. It is usually about 14-16 knots, but could easily reach 20-22. It never becomes extreme like sometimes happens in Riva or Torbole (30 or more). Northerly breeze in the morning, however, is here stronger then in the north (usually 20 but it can easily reach 30 knots) and could be an opportunity for recovering races.

Pelèr (North wind)

During summer it starts blowing at night (usually between 2-3 am) and gets its peak when sun-rays hit the water of the west coast. It starts declining before 11 am at stops around noon. “A characteristic of the Pelèr, says Giacomo Milani, windsurfer and part of 360 Gardalife staff, “is that it can form small sets of waves, much bigger and more upright than the regular motion of the lake”. The name comes from the local saying “el pela”, because it’s so strong that it “peels” the crest of the waves”. It also generates a lot of currents which bring cold water from the depth of the lake to the surface”.

Ora (South wind)

If Pelèr in Malcesine is the perfect wind for windsurfers, Ora is the golden apple for sailors: from medium to strong but never extreme. It starts when the Pelèr drops. usually between 12:00 and 1:30 pm, and in normal conditions ends at sunset.

It blows from the South and builds itself from many smaller winds that meet between Gargnano and Brenzone. “It’s quite regular in spring time and in the beginning of the summer, getting weaker when the air temperature gets super-hot and the change of temperatures between day and night is not so marked”, says Milani. “To make a strong Ora, there need to be strong sun-rays reflected from the water and the mountain around the northern part of the lake. That’s why when the sky becomes too cloudy the wind will become weaker or even die completely”.

Ora creates a very small chop on the lake with little or no current. Also, it gets stronger the more you go up north: this is caused by the Venturi effect you have due to the mountains chains around the lake that render the north of the lake much narrower than the south. Its force varies considerably: when in south Brenzone you have 1/2 Beaufort, in the north Torbole you may find up to 4/5 Beaufort and in Malcesine something in between.

The regular summer Ora comes early in the afternoon: when south wind blows in the morning it’s not a good sign, because it’s likely bad weather is coming, bringing rain or storms.

Balin (Stormy wind)

This wind comes from the Ballino mountains over the North Western valley of Riva. During summer it may show up after a strong temperature fall, generally caused by a rain storm. Like Pelèr it comes from North but you can distinguish it because is slightly more from east and is much stronger: 6-8 Beaufort forming waves higher then 1,5 meter.
“It’s very important to know Balin arrives quickly and often unexpectedly”, says Milani. “In very short time the wind can increase from a light breeze to a strong wind with 40 knots! The Balin is easy to recognize when coming: looking towards the North, the water starts to form waves with white foam, with the wind directly behind the waves”.

Vinessa (South-East wind)
When strong north-eastern Bora blows down into Adriatic Sea, a south-eastern wind is likely to going up into the Garda Lake. It is called Vinessa and it can blow for two or three consecutive days. Its constant strength and well-formed waves make it an excellent wind for windsurfing… and a challenge for dinghy sailors.