🇹🇷 Çardak (Gelibolu)
Turkey · Europe · All Turkey spots →
Best directionNE
Wind speed18–28kt
SeasonJun – Sep
Skill levelIntermediate
WaterFlat + chop
A spot on the Gallipoli peninsula where the Dardanelles strait funnels wind between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara — historic ground turned into a reliable summer launch.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting thereAsian side of the Dardanelles strait near Lapseki, about 40 minutes north of Çanakkale or 3.5 hours from Istanbul via the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. A car is required; free parking directly on the gravel and sand flats adjacent to the Çardak sand spit. The sand banks near the lagoon mouth give direct entry.
HazardsSits directly adjacent to the active Dardanelles shipping channel — genuinely violent shipping current and heavy commercial container traffic to avoid. Stay strictly inside the flat, shallow sand pools on the protected lagoon side of the spit and never venture into the deep channel lanes.
Best time of dayAfternoon, when regional northerly winds get heavily accelerated by thermal compression along the narrow strait. Builds consistently post-midday for a good flat-water training window inside the natural sand spit basin before sunset.