Turkey plus points
If you're not sure of your sealegs; if you've never sailed before, are concerned about possible seasickness, or in general just want a very laid-back, gentle sailing experience— pick a Turkey trip early or late in the season, when the winds are lighter. (In midsummer, winds are still plenty strong and fun though!)

If you're interested in ancient culture, and love poking around old ruins, relics of civilizations from thousands of years ago—Turkey is the place to do it. Many people imagine that the Greek isles are just littered with ancient ruins; it's not really the case. Of course, there are the famous sites on the mainland (eg, the Acropolis, Delphi), which you might want to visit on your way through Athens; but on the whole, many of the islands do not have much of real ancient interest. Their primary historical sites are more recent; mostly from the 10-11th century Crusader days. Turkey has the more fascinating ruins, amphitheatres, etc, scattered all along the southern coast; every little bay seems to have something dating back to BC times.

Turkey is a fascinating mixture of the very modern and very traditional. The bigger towns are very cosmopolitan places, busy, bustlin' and quite the party places for those so inclined! (They also have very fun shopping, which Greece does not). On our sailing itineraries, we tend to avoid the bigger towns - however, it's a great idea to plan a day/overnight in one of these spots before or after your trip. They are a fun experience for a day or two (after that it's definitely time to move on for most people though!)

Out sailing, we tend to focus on the smaller, off-the-beaten-track places. Though we do mix in a few little towns and villages (there's still plenty chance for some fun nightlife!) - on the whole, the places we visit are the ones not easily accessible from the land.

Turkey is generally much greener and generally prettier than Greece in many ways. The water also tends to be somewhat warmer ( one of the reasons we're in Turkey early and late in the season!). Turkey in general warms up much faster than Greece, so when it's still rather chilly at night in Greece (April, early May); it's already a very pleasant temperature in Turkey. This factor also leads to a disadvantage for Turkey however; in mid-summer, it gets very hot and quite crowded too.

Facilities for yachts are, in general, much better. The marinas there (Bodrum, Turgutreis, Marmaris, Gocek, Fethiye) are very smart, well organised places with great facilities. The Turks in general are much more organised than the Greeks—even in the tiny, out-of-the-way places, there is often water available, and a rickety wooden dock, on which someone is often there to help catch your lines (unheard of in Greece! :>)

Greece plus points
OK, having done the "big sell" on Turkey— there will always be something special and magical about the Greek isles. Their ambiance is unique; there's nowhere in the world quite like it. So this has to be the major plus point for Greece—it's "Greek"! The Greeks are a strange combination of "so laid-back they're almost horizontal" and yet conversely, they are full of life and energy, volatile, passionate, ready to laugh and dance the night away at the drop of a hat. Living life for the moment is a way of life in these little islands. Don't necessarily expect the same hospitality of the bigger, more touristy islands though - sadly the attitude towards visitors is often disinterested or just plain cynical. Given some of the tourists one sees around these more well-known islands, one can hardly blame them...

If you're a super-keen sailor, and getting some great sailing time in is one of your primary objectives—Greece is the better pick. The winds tend to be stronger, the sailing is more challenging. Traditionally, the windiest times are late July/Aug— but any time from early June to mid Sept is a good bet for winds.

The islands. . .there's just something about sailing from island to island that is unique; each has it's own quite different character ( and local "characters"!) ; it's own idiosyncrasies and ambiance. From the upmarket atmosphere of Samos; the bars n' discos n' restaurants; its greenery, the jeeps, waterfall & mountains—to the opposite extreme of tiny fishing villages with nothing more than a taverna, a church (both essential to any Greek community of more than 6 people!), a scattered collection of little houses and several dozen goats.

History. . .though Greece does not have the ancient ruins that Turkey does, the islands still do have plenty of momentos to past civilisations. Fortresses, monasteries, castles dating back to the 10th/11th century are to be found on several of the islands; Patmos in particular is famous for the Cave of St John—where the apostle reputedly wrote the Book of Revelations. Leros has a wonderful 11th century fortress, with the most incredible view of both sunset and sunrise!

We've been around these Dodecanese islands for so many years that that we're pretty much part of the furniture by now! We have the most wonderful "adopted families" on many of the islands, who extend that personal connection to anyone we bring to visit. As one past sailor put it -

I'd hate to be just another tourist in Greece. Sailing with you guys, we never felt like "tourists".

These local friends and families make all the difference; it's a glimpse into behind-the-scenes island life that you'd never experience as a "regular" tourist. That glimpse has led many a past sailor to have a serious think about the sanity of "normal" life back home... :>