There is a triangular stretch of the Ionian Sea — roughly 40 nautical miles on each side — that manages to be both one of Greece’s best-kept secrets and one of its most visited cruising grounds simultaneously. Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca: three islands, three completely different personalities, and more hours of genuine bliss at anchor than we have space to count. This Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca is written for the skipper at the helm, not the tourist in the hire car. We cover every approach bearing, every anchorage depth, every VHF channel and every taverna table you can reach by dinghy — because that is the only way these islands make complete sense.
Why This Cruising Triangle Works So Well
The Ionian Sea earns its reputation. The summer wind here is known as the Maistro — a tame northwest wind that tends to give a reliable breeze from May to September. It builds gently around midday, peaks in the afternoon at Force 3–5, and dies down by sunset. For a motor boat skipper, that rhythm is a gift: calm mornings to enjoy a swim before departure, breezy afternoons for lively running, and peaceful evenings at anchor.
The Ionian is fundamentally different from the Aegean. The Ionian Sea is not affected by the Etesian winds but experiences a reliable Maistro wind throughout the sailing season. The Ionian Sea experiences lighter NW winds — Force 2–5 most days — and is known for flat seas and a predictable daily wind cycle: calm mornings, moderate afternoons. That said, the prevailing wind is channelled and funnelled by the significant mountainous land masses in its way, so it can vary in strength and direction quite quickly. Watch the steep coastlines of Ithaca in particular — katabatic gusts spilling down from the steep terrain are common, sometimes strong and localised, making careful positioning and generous scope essential.
Before you leave the dock, load your Navionics Adriatic & Ionian Sea chart onto your plotter and phone. The Navionics software is really useful for pre-departure planning: planning in advance 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. Always cross-reference with visual fixes once you are in shallower bays — chart accuracy is high in major ports such as Argostoli, Sami and Fiskardo, but lower confidence exists in remote or nearshore areas where older or sparse data may exist, so depth data should be treated as guidance rather than absolute reference.
Lefkada: The Canal, the Marina and the Inland Sea
Approaching from the north, Lefkada’s geography announces itself immediately. The island sits behind a narrow, dredged canal that links the Ionian to what sailors call the Inland Sea — a protected body of water stretching south toward Meganisi and Kefalonia. The Lefkada Channel is dredged and buoyed with depths generally 4–6 metres, and entry is controlled by a swing bridge at Lefkada town operating on scheduled openings.
Time the bridge carefully. The bridge opens for 10–15 minutes, and theoretically during the night between 23:00 and 07:00 the bridge will open upon request on VHF Channel 12 if a vessel is waiting — but don’t count on it. There are many cars waiting for the bridge to close, so do not assume the operator will wait for you if you dawdle. If you need to wait for the opening while entering Lefkada Town, use the dock to the right before the bridge to moor alongside.
Once through, your main base is D-Marin Lefkas Marina. The total capacity of the marina is 620 berths up to a maximum length of 45 metres and a draft of 4 metres, with 280 dry berths. Contact the marina via VHF upon arrival on Channel 69 and go to the office to process check-in paperwork. Facilities include fuel, water, shore power, lift and repair services. The marina is operated by D-Marin and sits hard against the southern edge of Lefkada town — it lies inside a long, L-shaped wavebreak pontoon that shelters berths from east and north, with entry from the south between the wavebreak pontoon and the jetty with the fuel berth at its end.
Beyond the marina, the Inland Sea opens up beautifully. The anchorage at Sivota Bay on Lefkada’s southeastern coast is a favourite overnight stop: the bay is protected from wind of any direction, and you anchor in mud in 5–7 metres depth with excellent holding. South of Nidri, the fuel dock at nearby Pergiali is the most practical top-up stop on the east coast — the village of Pergiali has a convenient dock for refuelling and taking on water; moor alongside the NW wall or the NE dock — fuel is priced normally.
Nidri itself, the busiest resort town on the eastern coast of Lefkada, is known for its lively waterfront and views of the nearby islands of Meganisi, Skorpios and Madouri. Marina Nydri has 222 serviced berths for rent with maintenance facilities also on offer. Use Nidri as a provisioning stop — supermarkets are a short dinghy tie-up from the quay — then head south toward the archipelago.
Kefalonia: Fiskardo, Assos and the Anchorages You Work For
Running south-southeast from the tip of Lefkada’s inland sea, you raise the northeast cape of Kefalonia in around two hours at cruise speed aboard a 30-knot express cruiser. Mount Ainos, rising to over 1,600 metres, acts as a natural windbreak, creating lee shores along much of the coastline. These geographical features make Kefalonia particularly attractive for Mediterranean yachting, as you can find suitable anchorage regardless of wind direction.
Fiskardo is the entry point and the headline act. Approach at 38°27’31N / 020°34’58 WGS84 — the bay is free of dangers, and the lighthouse on the north side of the entrance is easily identified to guide you in. Because the town was not destroyed by the 1953 earthquake that flattened most of Kefalonia, it is the most architecturally picturesque town on the island — and as a result, tourists flock here. The small harbour is almost always crowded, and it pays to arrive early, especially during peak July and August.
Berths are scarce. At Fiskardo the mooring options are: at the breakwater in depths of 3.5–4 metres, at the west dock in 2–3 metres, and at the ferry dock on the north side, provided you leave the mooring by 11 a.m. If the quay is full — and in August it almost certainly will be — along the north shore of the harbour there is a good anchorage for 10–12 yachts in depths of 10–12 metres, taking lines ashore to stainless steel rings set into the rocks; holding is only moderate in sand and some weed, so make sure your anchor is well dug in. In high season, arrive early for a quay spot.
South of Fiskardo, reward yourself with Assos. From the north you will see the massive Venetian fort on the peninsula, and as you sail closer you locate the houses and the short mole. Approach coordinates are 38°22’80N / 020°32’20E. Go stern or bows-to the mole with a long line ashore, keeping distance as the mole is bordered by rocks. You can also stay in the bay on free anchoring or with a long line to the rocks — the bay is quite deep at 7–12 metres, but holding is not good everywhere, so let out as much scope as possible. Treat Assos as a lunchtime stop in fair conditions: although an absolute gem, Assos is only suitable in lighter air — the anchorage quickly becomes untenable in rougher conditions, certainly in northerlies. Land the tender on the small pebble beach, walk twenty steps to a waterfront table, and order the local fish of the day.
For a guaranteed overnight on Kefalonia’s west coast, bypass Assos if the Maistro is building and tuck around to Agia Effimia on the east coast instead. Berthing is stern-to, with depths typically 3–5 metres alongside and good holding in adjacent anchorage areas; facilities include water and electricity with local support services, but no full marina infrastructure. The harbour offers good all-round shelter except in strong easterlies.
Ithaca: Vathy, Kioni and the Anchorages Only Boats Reach
Of all the islands in this Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca, Ithaca demands the most from a skipper and gives the most in return. It is one of the most distinctive sailing destinations in the Ionian, offering exceptional natural shelter within a compact and mountainous island; its coastline is deeply indented, forming narrow bays and fjord-like inlets that provide protection in conditions where more open islands become uncomfortable.
Approach Vathy, Ithaca’s capital, from the east. Coordinates are 38°22’49N / 020°41’50E WGS84. The town of Vathi cannot be identified until you sail right into the bay; the chapel and the lighthouse on Ak.Ay.Andreou are easily identified and will guide you straight in. Care is needed as the prevailing winds, usually between 15:00 and 21:00 during summer, gust in from the NW. Care must also be taken regarding ferries going in and out of the harbour, which sometimes cannot be seen until they sail around the cape.
Vathy, along with the village of the same name, lies at the bottom of a very wide and sheltered natural inlet with a distinctive “mushroom” shape. The bay, open to the northwest, offers good shelter from northerly winds but is subject to strong gusts especially at its opening. Around 20 yachts can anchor and moor at the quay in depths ranging from 4.0 metres at the north end to 3.5 metres at the south end, with tyre fenders along the quay. Holding is reasonable in soft mud and weed once the anchor is well dug in, but it can require two or three attempts. There is a fuel station on the waterfront — the filling station at Mylos in Vathy handles fuel, lubricants and water. Provisioning is straightforward: tie the dinghy to the steps below the town square and you are 50 metres from a baker, a mini-market and the port police if you need to check in.
For pure Ionian atmosphere, run four miles north up the east coast to Kioni. The entrance is marked by the three derelict windmill turrets on the headland. Kioni sits on the northeast coast of Ithaca about 4 nautical miles south of Frikes; the bay opens gently between wooded slopes and reveals a compact waterfront village that has the visual charm sailors come for and the practical shelter overnight crews need. Yachts moor at the quay bow-to or stern-to at a water depth of 2.5 to 10 metres; the steeply sloped seabed means it makes sense to use a long chain. Kioni is safe in the prevailing NW conditions, but the afternoon does bring some strong NW gusts which make mooring either stern-to on the quay or longlined to the cliffs challenging with a crosswind. It is advisable to go early, get moored up without battling the wind, and then relax while watching other boats come in later.
The beach at Gidaki, just north of Vathy, is the anchorage that makes every non-boating visitor to Ithaca quietly furious: Gidaki is one of Ithaca’s most beautiful beaches with turquoise waters, and it can only be reached by boat or via a long and demanding walk. Anchor in 4–6 metres of crystal water over sand and spend the middle hours of the day there. You will have it — rarely completely to yourself, but almost.
Passage Planning, Timing and Practical Skipper Notes
The standard loop runs: D-Marin Lefkas → Sivota Bay → Fiskardo → Assos → Vathy → Kioni → Fiskardo → Nidri → Lefkas. In a week aboard a Jeanneau Leader 33 or a Pardo 38 — the kind of mid-range express cruisers that dominate Ionian charter fleets — you can comfortably complete the circuit with time for two days spent barely moving, which is exactly what these waters demand.
Timing is everything. In the Ionian in the height of summer, you can set your watch to the wind — not a breath before 11 a.m., then a gradually building medium breeze that is ideal for a relaxed afternoon passage, before the wind goes to sleep shortly before dusk. Depart anchorages by 09:30 at the latest for longer passages, and aim to be anchored or berthed before 14:00 in high season — the small harbour at Fiskardo is almost always crowded, and it pays to arrive early.
Fuel planning is simpler than it looks. The primary fill-up points are the fuel berth at the end of D-Marin Lefkas’s entry jetty, the Pergiali dock on the east coast of Lefkada, and the Vathy fuel station on Ithaca’s waterfront. Marine diesel is available at Lefkas Marina via a fixed fuel berth and road tanker delivery directly to quay or marina berths. Fiskardo has no dedicated fuel dock — for broader chandlery or fuel planning, consider stops elsewhere on Kefalonia. Carry enough in reserve to reach Vathy or Sami from any Kefalonian anchorage.
For charter services based in the heart of this triangle, several established operators run fleets from D-Marin Lefkas. Pre-booking your berths at Lefkas Marina through a marina booking platform before peak season is not optional — it is essential. Because peak season is the busiest period, popular harbours get crowded, so arriving early at anchorages is wise.
The Anchorages Only Reachable By Boat
This is the list that matters — the stops that no land-based tourist guide will ever properly describe, because you can only get there by water.
- Ormos Sarakiniko, Ithaca (east coast) — A tiny, steep-sided inlet south of Vathy. Anchor bow-to the cliff face in 5–8 metres over sand. 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. This is the best of them.
- Foki Bay, Kefalonia (just south of Fiskardo) — A narrow fjord-like cove with pine trees reaching the waterline and depths of 6–10 metres over sand. Take a stern line to the rings on the south shore. Swim in the shade in the afternoon heat.
- Agios Nikolaos Bay, Kefalonia — Agios Nikolaos bay is often overlooked but is a solid anchorage and also great for snorkelling — dinghy excursion to the islet. Note the reef on the way in and approach at dead slow.
- Gidaki Beach, Ithaca — One of Ithaca’s most beautiful beaches with turquoise waters, reachable only by boat or a long and demanding walk. Day anchorage only in 4–6 metres over sand. Leave before 15:00 as the Maistro funnels in from the north.
- Kioni cliffside longlines, Ithaca — A practical option when the quay is full: anchor and run a long line to the rocks on the west side of the bay. Plenty of room, and closer to town there are rings available for tying off.
Your Ionian Season in Summary
This Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca covers a cruising ground that genuinely rewards preparation with