The Winds
ventiSince the Lake lies in a basin and is surrounded by ranges of mountains separated by several valleys sloping down towards its shores, there always are drafts and the expanse of water is often subjected to abrupt changes. Sailing on the Lake is no mean feat and might be something of a surprise. When all is relatively still, it may happen that, all of a sudden, a strong wind starts blowing and the water gets rough and stormy; similarly, while sailing fast and with a good wind, you may well suddenly come to a halt and stand almost still in the middle of the Lake for hours. Because of its fickle winds, Lake Como is an ecellent training ground for sailing. As a matter of fact, there are quite a number of sailing schools and clubs all along the shores. During the sailing season, many local and international races take place, especially on the Lecco branch.
Here there is a list of the most important winds blowing on the lake and their characteristics:
Northerly: Tivano. It is a recurrent and uniform wind blowing from north-east, in the early morning hours, from 6 am to 10 am, all year round. It can reach speeds of up to 5 m/sec. It blows from a valley called “Valtellina” and its absence forebodes bad weather.
Southerly: Breva. This wind blows from the south when Tivano starts dropping; it is seldom strong, but lasts long; it blows from 10 am to 6 pm Speed: 7-8 m/sec.
These two winds clear up the sky over Lake Como. The next winds in this list are harbingers of bad weather; they can be very strong.
Northerly: Vento or Ventone. It blows from Val Chiavenna and may start unexpectedly, any time of the day. Generally it blows for 3 to 7 days, in strong gusts ranging from 40 to 60 kms/h.
Southerly: Menaggino. It blows in strong gusts from val Menaggio and is quite fearsome during thunderstorms, particularly in summertime.
Bellasco: blows from Val Muggiasca, right over Bellano.
Argegnino: blows in strong gusts from Val d'Intelvi.
Bergamasca: blows all along the Lecco branch up to the middle of the Lake, where its strength and violence start dropping.
Garzeno: blows from the valley ovelooking Dongo.
These are summertime winds that blow particularly during thunderstorms and can be quite dangerous. They usually blow in the evening hours.
Ports
Several docks and berths are scattered all along the Lake shores. You can sometimes find well-equipped ports, but most of them, are in bad conditions because of shallow waters and of the precariousness of their wharves. For small sail and motorboats, good berths and beaches can be found near camping grounds, which are mostly located in the northern part of the lake.
These areas indicated and described in the maps only when they can easily be approached either through a beach or a wharf.