Dodecanese Deep Dive: Greece's Eastern Frontier
The name Dodecanese means twelve islands — dodeka nisi — though the administrative region actually contains 163 inhabited and uninhabited islands and islets scattered across the southeastern corner of the Aegean Sea. The chain runs roughly 280 kilometres from Rhodes in the south to Patmos in the north, with the Turkish coast rarely more than 20 kilometres to the east. This proximity to Asia Minor gives the Dodecanese a character distinct from other Greek island groups: the history is layered with Ottoman, Byzantine, Crusader, and ancient Greek civilisations, the wind is stronger and more reliable than in the Ionian, and the light in September has an amber clarity found nowhere else in the Mediterranean.
Rhodes: The Grand Gateway
Rhodes is the capital of the Dodecanese and the largest island in the chain at 1400 square kilometres. The old city of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built by the Knights of St John (Knights Hospitaller) after they captured the island in 1309 and held it until the Ottoman conquest of 1522. The medieval walls are largely intact, enclosing the Palace of the Grand Master, the Street of the Knights, and several Byzantine churches converted to mosques during Ottoman rule. The main marina at Mandraki Harbour — named for the legendary bronze Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which once straddled its entrance — has around 200 berths but is often fully reserved; the commercial marina south of town accommodates larger visiting yachts. From Rhodes, the standard sailing circuit runs north through the chain toward Patmos, making use of the prevailing Meltemi from the north.
The Meltemi in the Dodecanese
The Meltemi in the Dodecanese is more intense than in many other parts of the Aegean because the channel effect between the islands accelerates the wind. Between Kos and the Turkish coast of Bodrum, the wind can reach Force 6 to 7 on midsummer afternoons. The upside is that this produces excellent upwind sailing with a short, steep Aegean chop that a well-found boat handles well. The Meltemi typically blows most strongly from late June through August and moderates in September, making September the preferred month for a Dodecanese circuit: winds are still reliable but manageable, sea temperatures stay above 25°C, and tourist crowds thin dramatically. Marinas and fuel docks in the Dodecanese all monitor VHF channel 12 as well as 16.
Kos, Kalymnos, and the Northern Islands
Kos is the second city of the Dodecanese, most famous for the Asclepion — the sanctuary of healing dedicated to Asclepius where Hippocrates, father of Western medicine, is said to have taught in the 5th century BC. The island has a large marina with good facilities and provisioning. Immediately north of Kos, Kalymnos is the island of the sponge divers, whose dangerous profession shaped the island's culture until synthetic sponges decimated the industry in the 1980s. The Kalymnos Museum of Underwater Archaeology displays finds from the depths, and the traditional kafenion culture in Pothia harbour is a reminder that tourism has not entirely displaced local life here. Leros, further north, has the best all-weather anchorage in the Dodecanese at Lakki — a huge natural harbour used as an Italian naval base during the Fascist era, lined with crumbling Art Deco administration buildings of extraordinary architectural ambition for such a remote location.
Patmos: The Sacred Island
Patmos is the northernmost of the main Dodecanese islands and one of the most significant Christian pilgrimage sites in the world. The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, founded in 1088, crowns the hilltop of the island's capital Chora, and the Cave of the Apocalypse below it is traditionally held to be where Saint John wrote the Book of Revelation. The island has no airport and is accessible only by ferry or yacht, which preserves a quietness that more tourist-heavy islands have long since lost. The harbour of Skala accommodates yachts in 3 to 5 metres of water and the holding on sand is generally good. The walk from Skala to Chora takes forty minutes and passes through old windmills and herb-scented terraces overlooking the neighbouring islands of Ikaria and Samos.
Symi: Hidden Gem of the Southern Chain
Between Rhodes and Kos, the small island of Symi is arguably the most architecturally beautiful in the entire Dodecanese. The harbour of Yialos is ringed with neoclassical mansions painted in ochre, yellow, and terracotta, climbing the steep hillside above the port on both sides of a narrow bay. The Symiot shipbuilding tradition produced sponge-fishing caiques for much of the eastern Aegean, and several of the old wooden boat-building yards can still be identified in the upper harbour. The anchorage at the head of the bay is free and generally calm; stern-to mooring on the town quay is also available but space is limited and the quay can become lively with ferry wash. The monastery of Panormitis on the south of the island is a major pilgrimage destination with a large natural harbour.
Tilos and Nisyros: Volcanic and Wild
Two of the less-visited islands between Rhodes and Kos offer contrasting experiences. Tilos is a small island of grazing land and bird-rich wetlands that has declared itself a pesticide-free zone and attracts ornithologists in spring and autumn. The harbour at Livadia is small but perfectly functional. Nisyros, just 10 kilometres from the Turkish coast opposite Datça, is built entirely from the rim of an active volcano whose caldera is accessible on foot from the port of Mandraki — a twenty-minute walk to a steaming landscape of grey ash and sulphur vents that smells unmistakably of geology still in the making. The caldera's deepest point is 260 metres below sea level and rumbles audibly at night.
Provisioning, Formalities, and Passage to Turkey
The Dodecanese is close enough to Turkey that most sailors combine the two. The major crossing points are Rhodes to Marmaris (18 nautical miles), Kos to Bodrum (7 nautical miles), and Samos to Kuşadası (10 nautical miles). A Greek boat or EU-flagged yacht crossing to Turkey requires an outward clearance stamp from the last Greek port of call; Turkish formalities must be completed at an official port of entry. The Dodecanese itself is well provisioned: Rhodes, Kos, and Patmos all have supermarkets within walking distance of the main marina, and fresh fish markets are a feature of most harbours.
Explore on the Map
A Dodecanese sailing circuit from Rhodes to Patmos and back covers roughly 350 to 400 nautical miles depending on the detours taken. Rhodes to Symi is 18 miles; Symi to Kos is 42 miles; Kos to Kalymnos is 12 miles; Kalymnos to Leros is 15 miles; and Leros to Patmos is 25 miles. Use our interactive map to trace the complete chain, identify anchorages and marinas at each island, and measure the distances to the Turkish coast. Zoom into the Dodecanese on the map to explore the island groupings around Kos and Kalymnos and plan the approach to Rhodes Mandraki Harbour.