The Dodecanese is the most sail-led region in Greece. Of 273 boats, 196 are monohulls — seventy-two per cent, against 74 catamarans and almost nothing else. People come here to sail rather than to anchor and swim, and the geography rewards that: a chain of islands running north to south along the Turkish coast, with the meltemi blowing down it and a lee shore always within reach.
That last point is what separates this from the Cyclades. Both get the meltemi. But the Cyclades are scattered across open water, while the Dodecanese form a line, so there is almost always shelter on the downwind side of the next island. You get serious wind and a safety net at the same time, which makes this a good place to step up after a season in the Ionian.
There are two bases and they lead opposite ways. Marina Kos and the town port hold 141 boats, and from Kos the natural route is north: Kalymnos, Leros, Lipsi, Patmos. Rhodes New Marina and Mandraki hold 131, and from Rhodes you go south and west: Symi, Chalki, Tilos, Nisyros. The two ends of the chain are about eighty nautical miles apart, so the marina you fly to decides the week — this is not a region where you can change your mind at handover.
Turkey is the other fact of life here. Bodrum is visible from Kos and Marmaris from Rhodes, in places only a few kilometres of water away. It is a border: crossing means clearing out of Greece, a transit log on the Turkish side, and the same in reverse. Most charter agreements do not permit it, so confirm in writing before building a route around it.
The fleet averages 13.5 metres and 4.3 cabins with a 2018 build year, and rates start at about €1,223. All 273 boats change over on Saturday.
