There is a moment, somewhere between the Lefkada Canal and the open blue of the southern Ionian, when the chart plotter scrolls past three island names in quick succession — Lefkada, Kefalonia, Ithaca — and you realise you are looking at one of the finest motor cruising grounds in the Mediterranean. No long offshore passages. No Meltemi to fear. Just a predictable northwest wind, gin-clear water, and a succession of harbours and anchorages that reward the skipper who arrives by bow rather than by bus. This is the Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca as it should be read — from the helm, hand on throttle, coffee going cold in the cupholder.
Reading the Wind: What the Maistro Means for Motor Cruisers
Before you plot a single waypoint, you need to understand the Ionian’s defining rhythm. 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 and 20 knots. In the Ionian at the height of summer, it is said you can set your watch to the wind: not a breath before 11 a.m., then a gradually building medium breeze before the wind goes to sleep shortly before dusk.
For a motor cruiser — whether you’re running a Jeanneau Leader 36, an Axopar 37 XC or a Sunseeker Predator 57 — this is almost too convenient. Depart early on flat water, run your passage before noon, be anchored with a cold Mythos by the time the afternoon chop builds. The Ionian is largely sheltered from the Meltemi that hammers the Aegean; the Ionian Sea experiences lighter NW winds — Force 2 to 5 on most days — and is known for flat seas and a predictable daily wind cycle.
One caution the Nautiful team always flags for this region: the prevailing wind is channelled and funnelled by significant mountainous land masses, so it can vary in strength and direction quite quickly. At night, cooler air slides down from mountain slopes, especially on Kefalonia, causing brief gusts in anchorages. Set a generous scope. Every time.
Load the Navionics Boating App with the Adriatic & Ionian Seas chart region before you leave home. Planning in advance with Navionics software means more time on the water and less time at the chart table — and you can download it to your device easily and at minimal cost. Pay particular attention to the SonarChart layers around the smaller coves; they regularly pick up detail the official Greek charts miss entirely.
Lefkada: The Canal Approach, D-Marin, and the East Coast Run
Most motor cruisers arrive at Lefkada from the north, and the approach immediately separates the prepared skipper from the overconfident one. When approaching from the north, you pass through the Lefkada Canal, a shallow dredged channel that connects the lagoon to the open sea near Aktion. The floating bridge at Lefkada opens only at scheduled times to allow vessels to pass; if you are arriving from the north or planning to depart northward, you must time your passage carefully to align with the bridge opening schedule. The bridge opens for 10 to 15 minutes each cycle; during the night between 23:00 and 07:00, it will open upon request on VHF Channel 12 if a vessel is waiting, but don’t count on it.
Once through, D-Marin Lefkas is your base of operations. The total capacity is 620 berths for vessels up to 45 metres in length, with a maximum draught of 4 metres and 280 dry berths. Contact the marina on VHF Channel 69 upon arrival; all berths are equipped with 220V and 380V electricity and fresh water. Book your berth well in advance for July and August — D-Marin marinas fill quickly during peak charter season. The fuel berth is at the end of the southern jetty; you can come alongside on any of its three sides before being directed to your berth.
The real pleasure of Lefkada is the east coast anchorage run heading south. Nydri Bay provides extensive anchoring in depths of 3 to 10 metres over mud with good holding and shelter from westerly winds. Push further south and 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 — ideal for overnight stays. Its entrance can be hard to spot from the sea until you are quite close, so call up the waypoint on your Navionics overlay rather than squinting at the hillside. Inside, Sivota’s south-eastern basin provides depths of 5 to 10 metres over mud with good holding and enclosed protection. This is one of the Nautiful team’s favourite overnight stops in the entire Ionian.
Kefalonia: Fiskardo First, Then South to Assos
The Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca route swings south from Sivota, roughly 25 nautical miles to the northern tip of Kefalonia. Fiskardo announces itself before you see it — look for the lighthouse on the northern side of the entrance and follow it into the bay. The approach is free of dangers; the lighthouse on the north side of the entrance guides you directly into the bay. There are only around 25 berths when making good use of all available moorings, making it difficult to find space in high season. Call Fiskardo on VHF Channel 12 before you commit. Inbound, watch out for ferries that often move at fairly high speeds and are not visible from a distance because of the lay of the coast.
Mooring options at Fiskardo require attention: at the breakwater depths run 3.5 to 4 metres, the south dock is dangerously shallow at just 1 to 1.5 metres, the west dock offers 2 to 3 metres, and the ferry dock on the north side can be used provided you vacate by 11 a.m. If the quay is full — and in August it will be — along the north shore of the harbour there is a good anchorage for 10 to 12 boats in depths of 10 to 12 metres, taking lines ashore to stainless steel rings set into the rocks, though holding is only moderate in sand and weed, so make sure your anchor is well dug in.
For provisioning, three supermarkets serve the village, with the biggest in the refurbished main square. Land your dinghy at the stone steps at the south end of the quay and you are in the heart of the waterfront in 30 seconds. The waterfront tavernas are reachable without leaving the harbour; the restaurants further into the village are a five-minute walk from the stern. For a quieter night, Foki Bay is located a couple of bays south of Fiskardo and is very popular with superyachts, but it is possible to anchor and take a long line ashore.
Bearing south along Kefalonia’s rugged east coast, Assos Bay offers perhaps the most spectacular setting, with its narrow entrance opening into a well-protected circular bay; the surrounding cliffs provide complete wind protection, though space is limited to around 10 to 12 boats, and the bay maintains consistent depths of 4 to 8 metres with excellent holding in sand and weed. The Venetian fortress on the headland above is only reachable properly by dinghy, landing on the north beach and climbing the pine-covered path. For full provisioning on Kefalonia, Argostoli provides the most comprehensive options, with multiple supermarkets including AB Vasilopoulos, Lidl, and Sklavenitis. The port supports over 200 berths with access to water, electricity, fuel, sanitary facilities, chandlery and technical services — the only location on the island with meaningful yacht support capability.
The Ithaca Channel and Arriving at Vathy
The passage from Fiskardo across to Ithaca is one of the defining short hops in this Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca. The Ithaca channel narrows to about 4 kilometres between the east coast of Kefalonia and the western shore of Ithaca, keeping the crossing short; in the lee of both islands the water is flat for most of the morning, and boats from Fiskardo take about 30 minutes to Kioni. The channel drops deep quickly, and dolphins work it in the early hours — a reminder that the most interesting wildlife encounters in the Ionian happen at sea, not at a resort.
Ithaca’s eastern coast is the primary cruising ground, and Vathy (Βαθύ) is its beating heart. Vathy — meaning “deep” — the main harbour and administrative centre of Ithaca, lies at the head of one of the most naturally sheltered bays in the Ionian Sea. Approach is free of dangers; the chapel and lighthouse on Ak. Ay. Andreou are easily identified and guide you straight into the bay. Go stern-to the west quay if space is available — this is the best spot as the summer winds are westerlies, with good holding and good shelter.
The bottom at Vathy is mud, and holding is excellent. There is a fuel station at the east end of the harbour bay, open from 08:00 to 20:00, where water can also be supplied. For provisioning by dinghy, land at the town quay steps: the village lacks almost nothing — supermarkets, nautical stores, banks, pharmacies, bars and restaurants.
Kioni and Frikes: The North Coast Gems Only Accessible by Water
The anchorages that separate a proper Ionian motor cruise from a simple harbour hop are the small villages of Kioni and Frikes on Ithaca’s northeastern coast. Neither has a road worth speaking of. Both are best, and in some lights only properly, reached by sea.
Kioni is a visual marvel — a deep natural bay framed by ruined windmills and amphitheatrically-tiered colourful houses, lively without losing its village feel. The three ruins of windmills on Cape Psigadi guide you on the approach. Yachts moor at the quay bow-to or stern-to in water depths of 2.5 to 10 metres, and the steeply sloped seabed means a long chain is essential. Kioni is safe in the prevailing NW conditions, but the afternoon does bring strong NW gusts that make mooring stern-to on the quay, or long-lined to the cliffs, challenging with a crosswind. Arrive before 14:00 — available space is limited later in the day, and arriving before 14:00 gives you the best choice of position.
Frikes, the small fishing village on Ithaca’s northeast coast, offers moorings for travellers wanting a calmer atmosphere and easy access to scenic local tavernas. The bay of Frikes lies on the north-eastern coast, has an irregular shape and deep waters, and is open to east and north-eastern winds, though several coves form very good anchorages on the coast of the bay. Many of Ithaca’s best anchorages are accessible only by boat, rewarding crews with clear water, quiet surroundings, and dramatic landscapes rather than organised facilities. On the west side of the island, Polis Bay near Stavros — surrounded by olive groves and forested slopes — is an anchor-friendly bay near the mythical location of Odysseus’s palace, offering natural Ionian serenity.
Practical Toolkit: Charts, Bookings and Charter Bases
Running this Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca itinerary in full — D-Marin Lefkas south to Sivota, crossing to Fiskardo, dropping into Assos, transiting to Vathy and finishing at Kioni — takes a comfortable week at a motor cruiser’s pace. Ten days gives you breathing room to wait out the odd afternoon blow or linger in an anchorage that earns it.
- Charts: Load the Navionics Boating App (Adriatic & Ionian Seas region) on your primary device and a backup tablet. Use SonarChart shading for cove approaches where official Greek hydrographic data is patchy. Cross-reference with Imray chart G12 (Ionian Islands — Southern Part) for the Kefalonia and Ithaca coverage.
- Marina bookings: Pre-book D-Marin Lefkas via the D-Marin portal for July and August — the marina fills to 620 berths rapidly. For Argostoli, contact the port authority directly on VHF Channel 12. Fiskardo has no advance booking system; arrive early or anchor north of the harbour.
- Charter bases: D-Marin Lefkas is the principal charter hub for this circuit, with multiple operators on Pier G running Beneteau Oceanis, Bavaria C57 and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey fleets. For motor-specific charters, bareboat and skippered options on Princess V40 and Azimut 46 hulls are available through Lefkada-based operators — contact local charter agents directly for current fleet and pricing.
- Weather: Greek Coast Guard weather broadcasts in Greek and English go out at 06:00, 10:00, 16:00 and 22:00 local time. Gale warnings lead every broadcast on Ch 16. In the Ionian, the Poseidon forecast model (poseidon.hcmr.gr) gives the most accurate local resolution.
- Fuel: Fuel is concentrated at Lefkada Town at the channel and marina area, where marine diesel is available via a fixed fuel berth. On Kefalonia, Argostoli is your primary fuel stop. On Ithaca, there is a filling station for boats at Mylos in Vathy covering fuel, lubricants and water.
Why This Triangle Rewards the Motorboat Skipper
Sailing guides have long celebrated the Ionian. But the Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide perspective that rarely gets written is the motor cruiser’s one — a skipper running a Fairline Targa 43, a Pardo 43 or an Axopar 28 who can cover Lefkada to Kefalonia in two hours on a flat morning sea, who can nudge into Assos in a beam that would terrify a sailing yacht on a lee shore, who can back stern-to at Kioni’s quay with the spring lines already coiled.
Lefkada Town, Nidri, and Vlicho Bay provide reliable shelter, repairs, provisioning and fuel, making the island an excellent staging point or refuge in unsettled conditions. Kefalonia’s dramatic geography — Mount Ainos rising to over 1,600 metres acts as a natural windbreak, creating lee shores along much of the coastline — means that even on a blowy afternoon you can almost always find a calm cove. And Ithaca simply rewards the unhurried. Places like Vathi remain calm even when winds are lively offshore — ideal anchorages after a day’s passage.
This triangle is roughly 80 nautical miles around at its widest loop. You could motor it in a weekend. You won’t want to. The Ionian has a way of stretching time — a glass of Robola on the stern platform, water so clear you can see your anchor chain at eight metres, the three windmill ruins above Kioni turning pink in the evening light. Greece Ionian Islands sailing guides will tell you about the destinations. We’re here to tell you to slow down and stay longer.
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