How crowded is regatta? We are looking at a trip in October-already have a place to stay, so that's not a problem. We're divers, and I just wondered if the restaurants are going to be a hassle, or if it's pretty much the same as it usually is.

Restaurants will be more or less the same as usually .... on the Wilhelmina Plein there will be lots of food stands where people will be eating while listening to the music , lots of different groups normally playing there.

Mary we went during Regatta week this last October and I can not say I would recommend it. Restaurants were not bad but other things were, like airline flights were booked and very difficult to find reasonable ones. The street along the water was also blocked for the week.

The other issue was the wind reversals, it made it hot and very rough on the west side. The dive boats could only dive on east side of the Klein. It did make the east side divable which was cool.

YMMV.

Non-availability of airline flights and many more boats may be a result of Regatta, but certainly Cecil, you aren't saying that Regatta was the cause of the wind reversal. ;+)

So far, flights are fine. I know about the wind reversal-could someone explain whether this happens for a long period of time, or off and on, or what? Just not sure.

The other option is early November, which I know is rainy season.

Any thoughts from any of you?

Mary, wind reversals are tricky, you just never know when one is gonna happen. Personally, I don't like to be on island when Regatta is going on for other reasons, but when there is a wind reversal, the south side is usually good! I also go in November and had only one bad time with rain, all the others were great and yes, wind reversals can still happen in November. Just pick the best time for you and go with the flow. As far as how long the wind reversal can last, it differs with each one. Sometimes a few days, then a week with others....

Sure it could happen, all those sails on the west side deflected the winds east. Either that or GWB caused it.

My rather limited understanding of the wind reversals is that it is a fall phenomenon and can happen any time in the fall.

The truth is that the wind gods know when we plan regatta and keep the winds down which makes the beer companies happy since landlubbers lub their Amstels, etc.