Kos

Coo, Kos in Greek, a “watershed” island in the Dodecanese archipelago, a Greek island but closer to Turkey than to the Greek mainland: there are many reasons why you should visit the island of Coo and the town of the same name its capital, a concentration of history and tourism almost without equal in Greece.

Coo is the city of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who spent his life here; much of his time is said to have been spent sitting and thinking under the plane tree that still bears his name, and which therefore has his age and is rightly considered the oldest tree in Europe (which can be visited, and offers a beautiful sight).
But it is also the city inhabited and profoundly changed by the Knights of St. John, former masters of Rhodes, who from the early 1500s changed its face by co-constructing fantastic palaces that can still be visited today.

And let’s not forget that it is also, in a small part, the island of the Italians, who ruled here for the first half of the twentieth century and also built numerous buildings.
That’s why visiting Coo means taking a temporal and cultural excursion over 2000 years long. In the heart of the city, in fact, we find the remains of the ancient agora, the baths of Roman times, the gymnasium, the odeon, the Roman house, The “Italian” quarters built in the 1930s, and much, much more (how not to mention the city’s archaeological museum, which contains many treasures).

Coming in from the sea, one cannot fail to notice one of the most famous and important monuments in the entire city: the Castle of the Knights of the Order of St. John, also called Neratzia Castle, which is located right at the entrance to the city port, or old port, or even Mandraki port. Walls and towers of the castle date back to 1315 and can still be visited today, as can the entire building, and the views and thrills from up there are unique.

But let us come to the more purely nautical affairs. The port of Coo has always been the circular-shaped harbor located right at the foot of the town, called simply Kos harbor, or Kos Mandraki harbor. It is part of the nerve center of the town, and mooring here has its charms: right under the castle, next to the Hippocrates plane tree, a short walk from the agora. Of course, all this comes at a price: tranquility. Forget silence and peace. Coo is a busy town, very active, you can find everything in its streets, both by day and by night, nightlife is in fact one of the town’s flagships. So bill it.

Just as you put into account that you will have quite a bit of difficulty finding a berth in the warm season. Even now that the port is managed by the nearby Kos Marina and new areas have been set aside for transient boats, the berths do not exceed forty and are always hotly contested. Getting to Coo presents no particular dangers except for the shoals at Cape Kum, north of the harbor. The shelter offered is fair; the port suffers from winds from the north and northeast (the direction to which it is open), which cause considerable currents within the basin.

Qhen you approach the port, call the staff on vhf channel 74 to ask for berth availability and be directed to the right place. Currently, visiting boats moor just below the castle, on the east side of the port, and on the outer northeast side, which, however, is only viable in calm sea conditions. You moor aft (side mooring has a surcharge of 80 percent) and drop anchor in a depth of about 5 meters, a muddy bottom of excellent hold; the depth aft is about 2 meters.
The south side of the harbor is reserved for gulets taking tourists on day trips.

As for services, you will find columns with water and electricity on the quay below the castle: however, they are active only in season, that is, from about May to September. Fuel can be delivered to ports; ask the staff for information. Water is charged, electricity is not. Toilets are shared with the ferry terminal; there are no showers.