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Travel notes
Direct flights to Rhodes, Kos and Samos.
Ferries and fast ferries daily from Piraeus.
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Rhodes Kos Dodecanese
 The
Dodecanese, which means ' the Twelve Islands' in Greek,
lie in a crescent chain down the Asiatic Turkish coast
curving west towards Crete. The islands are for the most part bare of vegetation
although not to such an extent as the Cyclades. Several
of the islands with abundant natural springs, notably
Kos and Rhodes, are relatively green and wooded.
Typically, charter yachts use Rhodes (Rodos) as a
jumping off point due to the regular and frequent air
service from Athens. From Rodos, the yachts can head
North West up the Turkish coast taking the smoothest
route on the lee side of the islands of Kos and Kalymnos
and creeping all the way up to Samos using the many
Turkish peninsulas that jut out into the Aegean sea as
protection from the NW wind.
Wind and weather conditions - Intermediate
to Advanced
In the summer the prevailing wind is the Meltemi blowing
from the NW-W. It starts fitfully in June, blows strongly
in July through to September and again fitfully in October.
In the summer months it regularly blows Force 4-6 and
may on occasion reach Force 7.
It does not blow every day, but may blow without break
for 5-10 days. When the Meltemi is blowing at full strength
in July and August the gusts off the lee side of an
island can be considerably stronger than the wind strength
in the open sea. Gusts are particularly strong off
Patmos, Kalymnos, Kos, Nissyros, Tilos, Karpathos and
Astypalea.
In the comparatively open stretch of sea between Astypalea
and Karpathos a large and distributed sea is set up
when the Meltemi blows for days on end. Although it
is possible to go N when the Meltemi is blowing, it
makes better sense to plan to be heading S in July and
August. The typical short seas it sets up make sailing
or motoring to windward arduous and tiring. In spring
the Meltemi blows mainly SE and is not very strong.
During the winter it usually blows SE and sometimes
N or S. Temperatures in the summer can reach 35 degrees
Celsius.
History
The island of Rhodes has dominated this part of the Aegean since ancient times. The islands were under turkish occupation until 1912. Despite the long period of their occupation they remained Greek. After the Venetian war the islands were under Italian occupation until the second world war. In 1947 they became Greek again.
Mykonos, Santorini and Cyclades |
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Athens and the Peloponnese |
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The Cyclades (from the Greek word for 'rings' or 'circles') is the central group of islands in the Aegean, so named because of the way they seem to surround Delos, the ancient centre of trade and worship. more |
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On the south eastern side of Peloponnese this route combines beautiful islands and the magnificent eastern coast of the Peloponnese. Along this route you will explore many cosmopolitan towns, ancient temples, small peaceful fishing villages and unspoiled anchorages. more |
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Rhodes Kos Dodecanese |
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Corfu & Ionian Islands |
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The Dodecanese, which means ' the Twelve Islands' in Greek, lie in a crescent chain down the Asiatic Turkish coast curving west towards Crete. The name "Dodecanese" is of comparatively recent origin. more |
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To those of you who visualize a country of sun-baked rock dotted with dazzling whitewashed houses, the Ionian comes as a gentle surprise. This is not the Greece of the popular travel brochure but a shaded green country, sheltering red tiled Latin houses... more |
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Sporades Skiathos |
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Crete Island |
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The Sporades islands lie in the Northwest Aegean Sea, off the East coast, near the peninsula of the south Pelion mountains. The three main islands in the Group are Skiathos, with its own international airport, Skopelos and Alonissos . more |
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The Crete island located in the south of Greece is one of the most famous islands. The island has everything to offer: mountainous landscapes, a coast with many beautiful beaches and rocky coves, beautiful towns and charming villages... more |
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