The southern Ionian triangle — Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca — is the one cruising ground that rewards the motorboat skipper in ways no land-based itinerary ever could. From the helm of an Azimut S6 or a Jeanneau Leader 33, the picture looks nothing like a travel brochure. It looks like a limestone headland dissolving into jade-green water, a taverna reachable only by dinghy, and a harbour approach that needs reading right or not at all. This is our Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca — written entirely from the water, for the skipper who needs to know before the anchor goes down.
The Wind That Runs This Cruising Ground
Before we talk anchorages and approaches, understand the engine that drives your days here. In summer, the Maistro dominates — a northwesterly breeze that starts around midday, builds in the afternoon, and eases at sunset, with speeds usually sitting between 10–20 knots. In the height of summer, it is said you can set your watch to the wind: not a breath before 11am, then a gradually building medium breeze ideal for a relaxed afternoon passage, before the wind goes to sleep shortly before dusk.
This rhythm is your greatest asset as a motorboat skipper. Depart early, run your long passages in the glassy calm, arrive before noon, anchor and swim through the heat of the day. The Ionian and Saronic Gulf are largely sheltered from the Meltemi — the Ionian experiences lighter NW winds of Force 2–5 most days and is known for flat seas and a predictable daily wind cycle. That said, do not take the afternoon lightly. Be aware of possible violent gusts on the leeward side of the islands due to high land — for instance the eastern coastlines of Ithaca and Zakynthos. Load Navionics Boating with the Adriatic and Ionian Sea charts, available as an annual subscription through the Garmin platform, and keep the app open on your chartplotter throughout. It will save you every time the buoyed channel narrows or the anchorage depths shallow faster than you expect.
Lefkada: The Canal, D-Marin and Vlicho Bay
Your first commitment on this Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca circuit is the approach to Lefkada Town — and it demands respect. The floating bridge at Lefkada is one of the most talked-about features of this marina approach — it opens only at scheduled times throughout the day, and if you are arriving from the north or planning to depart northward, you must time your passage carefully. As of 2026, bridge opening times for yachts and vessels are temporarily irregular due to an underwater pipeline project bringing water from the mountains to the island. Hail the bridge operator on VHF 12 before your approach and confirm the schedule. Do not assume.
The canal approach requires careful navigation — use up-to-date charts and follow the buoyed channel precisely, particularly at lower water levels. Once through, D-Marin Lefkas has a capacity of 620 berths, accommodating vessels up to 45m length and 3.30m draft. It is a full-service marina and one of the most expensive in Greece, with daily berthing charges in high season among the highest in the southern Ionian — hail the marina on VHF Channel 69 on approach. Book your berth well in advance for July and August — D-Marin fills quickly during peak charter season.
Provisioning is straightforward from the marina pontoon — Lefkada town has a good selection of chandleries and marine equipment suppliers, useful if you need spare parts or gear before a longer passage south. For a quieter berth and one of the Ionian’s most reliable overnight anchorages, push south to Vlicho Bay. Vlicho is a long, sheltered natural bay on the eastern coast of Lefkada, just south of Nidri — its calm waters and excellent protection from all wind directions make it one of the safest anchorages in the Ionian, even during strong blows, and popular among cruisers for extended stays. Along the shore you’ll find tavernas, small shops, and repair facilities, while Nidri is only a short dinghy ride away for more extensive provisioning.
Southward, the inlet of Sivota offers a beautiful alternative. Sivota Bay is a well-sheltered inlet with calm waters and good holding, surrounded by tavernas that often offer mooring lines if you dine there. It is a genuine bolt-hole — one of the few places in the Ionian where a motorboat of any size can sleep soundly in almost any forecast.
The Passage South: Reading the Lefkada–Kefalonia Channel
The 20-nautical-mile run from Sivota down to Fiskardo on Kefalonia’s northern tip is the spine of this circuit. On a settled morning it is one of the most pleasurable passages in the Mediterranean — flat blue water, the Ithaca hills rising to starboard, the limestone spine of Kefalonia growing ahead. Open the throttle on the way down and you will be picking up a stern-to berth in Fiskardo well before the Maistro begins to build.
Keep your Navionics track centred in the channel. Primary approaches to Ithaca and Kefalonia are from the north and south via the channel between the two islands — deep and clear, with depths 50–150m mid-channel, shoaling to 20–40m within 1NM of either coast. Wind acceleration and short seas occur with NW winds, particularly in the northern entrance. If the afternoon Maistro has already built when you depart, expect a short chop on the beam between the two islands — nothing that will trouble a well-found motorboat above 30 feet, but enough to wake the crew.
Kefalonia: Fiskardo, Assos and the Secret Bays
Fiskardo is the jewel of northern Kefalonia and one of the great harbour stops in the whole of the Mediterranean. Unlike most of Kefalonia, Fiskardo was spared by the 1953 earthquake and the port has retained its traditional Italianate architecture — deservedly a particularly popular port: only Kioni on Ithaca is more charming.
The approach bearing is clean. Approaching Fiskardo at 38°27’31N / 020°34’58E — it is free of dangers, and the lighthouse on the north side of the entrance is easily identified to guide you into the bay. The harbour itself is intimate and competitive in season. Mooring options include: the breakwater at 3.5–4m depth, the west dock at 2–3m, and the ferry dock on the north side — though you must vacate the latter by 11am. The seabed of sand and kelp offers fair holding and allows anchoring in the northern part of the bay in depths of 10–12 metres. The harbourmaster will keep the ferry quay and tripper boat quay free until late afternoon — do not be fooled by a large space, as you will be ushered away.
- Best berth: Stern-to on the east quay — fine, and not involved in the crossed-anchor carnage of the rest of the harbour.
- Weather window: Fiskardo is safe and comfortable in W and NW winds. Easterly winds blow directly in — fine if you are stern-to on the east quay, but no good elsewhere. With winds from the south the swell can pick up significantly.
- Restaurants by tender: Elli’s and Apagio’s are both worth noting — Greek cuisine with an elegant modern twist.
For swimming and seclusion, push two miles south to Foki Bay. Foki Bay is located a couple of bays south of Fiskardo and is very popular in summer with superyachts, though it is possible to anchor and take a long line ashore. Further south, Assos Bay is the dramatic set piece of Kefalonia’s west coast. Assos Bay offers perhaps the most spectacular setting, with its narrow entrance opening into a well-protected circular bay — space is limited to around 10–12 yachts, and the bay maintains consistent depths of 4–8 metres with excellent holding in sand and weed.
For provisioning, the capital tells the whole story. Argostoli provides the most comprehensive provisioning on Kefalonia, with multiple supermarkets including AB Vasilopoulos, Lidl, and Sklavenitis. Water depths in most bays offer excellent holding ground with sandy or sandy-mud bottoms, and the exceptional water clarity — often exceeding 30 metres’ visibility — allows you to see your anchor and assess the seabed conditions easily.
Ithaca: Vathy, Kioni and the Passages Homer Knew
The short crossing from Fiskardo to Ithaca’s north-east coast takes less than an hour at easy cruise speed. What awaits is an island that earns its mythology — deep bays, olive-covered hills, and village harbours that have changed very little in the way that matters.
Kioni is your first and finest stop on the north-east coast. One of the most picturesque harbours in Ithaca — a deep natural bay framed by ruined windmills and amphitheatrically-tiered colourful houses, lively without losing its village feel. Kioni sits on the north-east coast of Ithaca, about 4NM south of Frikes. The three ruins of windmills on Cape Psigadi will guide you on the approach. The best berths are stern-to at the quay near the green harbour light. Drop plenty of chain because the prevailing NW wind will be perpendicular to your boat, adding strain to the anchor — the seabed is sand with good holding.
Kioni is safe in prevailing NW conditions, but the afternoon does bring strong NW gusts with a crosswind that makes mooring challenging — it is advisable to go early, get moored up, and then relax while you watch other boats come in later. Do not consider Kioni in easterly or southerly winds — the swell can get really big and the holding is not good enough at the depths where most boats anchor, typically over 10m.
From Kioni, the 4NM run south to Vathy — Ithaca’s capital — is the final act of the circuit. The island is deeply indented with multiple bays providing sheltered water, with the principal harbour at Vathy situated at the head of a long, enclosed inlet on the east side. The main port lies on the SE coast and is entered through a narrow, well-defined inlet — depths reduce from 30–40m outside to 10–15m at the entrance, then 5–8m inside the bay. The entrance is free of hazards, but requires accurate alignment; once inside, the bay is fully enclosed and sheltered.
Anchoring in the bay is common since quay spaces fill quickly — aim to anchor close to the town centre for shallower depths or southwest of the Lazaretto islet for reduced wind exposure. Expect NW gusts. The bottom is mud and holding is excellent. Fuel is available at the station at Mylos, with working hours roughly 09:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00. There is a fuel station at the eastern end of the harbour bay, open from 8am to 8pm (+30 2674 033316), where water can also be supplied. Go ashore into Vathy, where the harbourfront is lined with restaurants and shops, and the town spreads around the bay.
Planning Your Circuit: Practical Skipper Notes
The full Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca circuit — D-Marin Lefkas to Vlicho to Sivota, across to Fiskardo, round to Assos and Argostoli, then across to Kioni and Vathy — covers roughly 80 nautical miles at comfortable cruising speeds. On a Jeanneau Cap Camarat 10.5 WA or a Pardo 43, that is well within a comfortable five- to seven-day itinerary. Allow extra days: this is cruising ground where you will not want to keep moving.
- Charts: Load the Navionics Boating app with the Adriatic and Ionian Sea subscription before departure. The SonarChart depth data is particularly valuable in anchorages like Foki and Assos where charted soundings are sparse. The Garmin-backed platform is the standard across charter fleets operating from D-Marin Lefkas and Nidri.
- Timing: The Ionian experiences lighter NW winds of Force 2–5 most days, with flat seas and a predictable daily wind cycle — calm mornings, moderate afternoons. Always make your long passages before 11am.
- Marina bookings: D-Marin Lefkas is the only full-service berth on this circuit. Contact them on VHF 69 or book ahead via the D-Marin app — essential in July and August when the marina runs near capacity for weeks on end.
- Fuel: Fuel at D-Marin Lefkas before departure. The next reliable fuel dock is at Argostoli or Vathy. Carry spare jerry cans if you plan to anchor out for multiple nights between fuel stops.
- Anchoring fees: Mooring fees on town quays run around €15–25 per night, varying by season. Both Vathy and Kioni have municipality-run quays where fees are minimal.
For those chartering into this region, the bases at Nidri and D-Marin Lefkas are the principal departure points. Places like Sivota on Lefkada and Vathy on Ithaca remain calm even when winds are lively offshore — ideal anchorages after a day’s passage. If you are planning a charter, specialist operators running out of Lefkada will have local knowledge of the latest bridge schedules, pontoon availability, and which taverna in Fiskardo will take your bow line and reward you with a table before the crowds arrive.
Why This Triangle Belongs in Every Med Skipper’s Log
There is a reason the southern Ionian fills up every June and empties reluctantly in October. It is not the Meltemi-free forecast or the warm Adriatic-blue water, though both help. It is the density of genuinely extraordinary stops within a compact, manageable cruising area. Flat seas, short hops and emerald coves around Lefkada, Ithaca and Kefalonia make this perfect for families or crews easing into stern-to mooring. It is also — and this is the part no travel article tells you — a place that completely transforms when you are on the water rather than on land. The beach at Assos, inaccessible by road in any comfort; the mouth of Vathy harbour seen at first light from the cockpit; Kioni at dusk when the windmill silhouettes go dark against an orange sky. None of that is available to the tourist on a hire scooter.
This Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca is your starting point, not your ceiling. The real sailing knowledge comes from running the circuit yourself — from the helm, at anchor, with your tender in the water and a table booked at the waterfront.
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