- Typical afternoon wind
- 4–6 Beaufort · Meltemi
- Passage lengths
- 3–5 hours
- Suits
- Some seasons
- Season
- May–October
A chain of islands close to the Turkish coast, where you can duck into a lee when the Meltemi builds.
The Dodecanese get the Meltemi, but the geography is kinder than the Cyclades: the islands run in a line with the Turkish mainland close to the east, so there is usually a lee within an hour. Passages are longer than the Ionian but rarely exposed for their whole length. Prices ashore are among the lowest in Greek charter.
A typical week
- Day 1 Kos to Kalymnos
- Day 2 Leros, Lakki or Pandeli
- Day 3 Lipsi
- Day 4 Patmos
- Day 5 Back south to Leros
- Day 6 Pserimos or Kalymnos
- Day 7 Kos
Roughly 90 to 110 nautical miles over the week
Worth the detour
- Symi's neoclassical harbour
- Nisyros and its volcanic caldera
- Rhodes old town from the sea
- Patmos and the monastery
Watch out for
- The Meltemi funnels hard between Kos and the Turkish coast
- Clearing in and out of Turkey costs a day and paperwork
- Some harbours are exposed to the north, check before committing
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Nights ashore
Before embarkation and after handback
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Flights
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Airport transfer
Airport to the marina
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Travel insurance
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