The storm is classified as Medicane, the meteorological word creation from "Mediterranean" and "Hurricane". This classification is made when mean peak gusts of over 112 km / h are expected and the storm bottom forms a correct eye, like a tropical storm. This is clearly the case with the low "Ianos". It draws in from the west towards the southern Ionian Sea and, in addition to storms and heavy seas, will also bring with it thunderstorms with extremely high levels of precipitation.
The meteorologists reckon that the Medicane will reach the islands, especially from Lefkas southwards this afternoon, and will have a firm grip on the whole Friday. The crews are therefore strongly advised to look for a storm-proof berth as soon as possible. This is not at all easy in the area, where there are only a few perfectly protected harbors with mooring lines. Instead, the crews often tie up with stern lines to the pier and bow anchors in small communal harbors. Since there is often not much space for long chains and many crews do not retract the anchor thoroughly enough, it can get tricky in the harbor in extreme storms, especially when neighboring boaters are drifting.
The windy view of the gust potential
Since the wind pulls your eye over the islands during the storm, changing wind directions must be expected depending on the location of the crew. For the area around Lefkas and Nidri it turns from almost east to north-west, accordingly a port with protection in this direction must be sought. If no harbor can be reached with mooring lines, crews should check whether they can deploy the bow anchor with even more chain and retract it as correctly as possible and, if possible, deploy the second anchor. It is important to coordinate this with the skippers of the neighboring boats, because if all the chains and irons are on top of each other later, that does not help. If you want to or have to stay in a bay as an alternative, you should choose it very carefully, because there are various notorious wind nozzles in the Ionian Sea, e.g. from Kalamos' south side or on the northeast side of Ithaca.
