kos -santorini-crete-rodhos-kos

[stevsail]

Hallo there i'm about to plan a sailing cruise with a lagoon 380 in july in greece. (trip log: kos -santorini-crete-rodhos- kos)
Do you think it will be a dangerous area?
I've read a lot about it and some people really discourage it.
what your advise?
I'll have 2 persons with good skills and experience and the rest will be passanger.
Bye and WInd to everybody
stefano

[MartinR]

Why should it be dangerous?

[gmakhs]

As Greek(Cretan) I don't like Kos and Santorini those island and lefkas have been my worst experiences with locals , in Rhodos don't waste a lot of time in the marina , there are nice bays like lindos , Kos is the same but marina is nice , Santorini is great for a cat I used to use the island as a pit stop leaving from Creta .
Creta is nice , its good if you have time to visit the south end of the island or leave the boat in port and rent a car to go around .

All islands have a lot to offer and probably you won't see and enjoy everything , every island has different culture and mentality with Rhodos being the most effected (badly ) by tourism .

The wind in Greece is erratic but you can always motor or if you have Meltemi there are anchorage's and port few hours from every place .
The Greek sea is easy to navigate and very very very well charted .
Only one suggestion and warning .
If you have strong north winds is nice to sail from Santorini to Creta but do not attend the Chania harbour (my home town ) with strong norths the entrance has big waves and there is a brake water on the green buoy that sometimes is missing .
As an alternative you can use souda bay where you can anchor or use the port , it's a fisherman's port near the river , it's 3 to 5 metters deep and verry calm and protected , you can rest there and then motor or sail to chania or rethtmno once north dies.

If you need anything else you can contact me :
https://www.facebook.com/SailingNala/

Have a nice vacation and relax Greeks are friendly and happy people , you will meet a lot of sailors along the way .

[stevsail]

Thks guys i’ve been in Greece many times but never in the south Dodecaneso.
My concerne was the possibility to catch the very strong Meltemi that as i know arrives there very very strong

[Dan GB]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

As Greek(Cretan) I don't like Kos and Santorini those island and lefkas have been my worst experiences with locals , in Rhodos don't waste a lot of time in the marina , there are nice bays like lindos , Kos is the same but marina is nice , Santorini is great for a cat I used to use the island as a pit stop leaving from Creta .
Creta is nice , its good if you have time to visit the south end of the island or leave the boat in port and rent a car to go around .

All islands have a lot to offer and probably you won't see and enjoy everything , every island has different culture and mentality with Rhodos being the most effected (badly ) by tourism .

The wind in Greece is erratic but you can always motor or if you have Meltemi there are anchorage's and port few hours from every place .
The Greek sea is easy to navigate and very very very well charted .
Only one suggestion and warning .
If you have strong north winds is nice to sail from Santorini to Creta but do not attend the Chania harbour (my home town ) with strong norths the entrance has big waves and there is a brake water on the green buoy that sometimes is missing .
As an alternative you can use souda bay where you can anchor or use the port , it's a fisherman's port near the river , it's 3 to 5 metters deep and verry calm and protected , you can rest there and then motor or sail to chania or rethtmno once north dies.

If you need anything else you can contact me :
https://www.facebook.com/SailingNala/

Have a nice vacation and relax Greeks are friendly and happy people , you will meet a lot of sailors along the way .

I think the above is spot on. Agree 100% that Cretans are the best people, especially on the south coast. My experience of Santorini two years ago was that tourism had ruined it, but the Caldera is a must see.
Back in 1984 (!) I spent the season fishing with nets and longlines out of Sfakia on the south coast. Tough coast without much shelter and the winds and seas could build really fast. But the most beautiful place and people. At that time it was a bit the wild west of Europe (in a good way) but I appreciate it's a long time ago and I haven't been back. I would prioritise if I was planning an itinerary.

[gmakhs]

Originally Posted by stevsail

Thks guys i’ve been in Greece many times but never in the south Dodecaneso.
My concerne was the possibility to catch the very strong Meltemi that as i know arrives there very very strong

Meltemi is weaker in Creta , and is predictable and there are always places to shelter from it , don't let it ruin your vecation
I have been in Meltemi up to 40 knots (apparent wind so maybe 30 to 35 true ) the waves are small and that makes it really manageable.

I was over confident because of this on my first 35 knots in the Atlantic and got my ass kicked hehe

[Yellowtulip]

A few years ago I chartered for a week from Rhodes in April. We sailed upwind to Simi when it blew up to a 6. In our ignorance we went into Simi harbour in this strong NE wind. Somewhat uncomfortable! (But a beautiful spot.) Panormitis on the SW of Simi is beautiful and very sheltered. We had a calm day then a force 3, another calm day, a force 6 "land breeze" overnight at Tilos necessitating an anchor watch as the holding wasn't that good, then a force 8 on the return to Rhodes. The seas weren't huge, so it wasn't dangerous. Sailing in Greece is as good as it gets. Crete is fantastic, though I haven't sailed there. Santorini is spectacular.
We had nothing but friendliness and help throughout.

[MartinR]

The Meltemi is fairly predictable, and not too strong. There are places to look out for, like the south side of Milos, where the wind can double in strength. Last year we had 50 knots+ there. No waves, so fast, comfortable sailing, reefed down of course. There are also places where it funnels between the islands. These are well known, just reef in time and be prepared.

If you need to go north, it is easier on the Turkish side, and normally in the morning.

The wind is warm, the water is blue, the people are friendly. Biggest danger is probably too much Ouzo.

The smaller Cyclades are beautiful, was there two weeks ago. Sailed for 10 days, 400 miles,
and saw only 4 other sailing boats. Different in summer of course.