There is a stretch of the Ionian that does something to experienced skippers. You’ve run channels in Croatia, you’ve threaded your way through the Turkish coves, and you think you’ve seen the best the Mediterranean has to offer. Then you throttle back off the north tip of Kefalonia at dawn, the limestone cliffs catching the first orange light, and the chartplotter shows Ithaca sitting twelve miles away across a perfectly flat sea. This is the southern Ionian at its absolute best — and if you’re approaching by water, you’ve already chosen the right way in. Our Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca covers everything you need to know from the helm: approaches, anchorages, berth logistics, fuel, provisioning, and the stops that only make sense when you arrive by boat.
Understanding the Ionian: Weather, Wind and Timing Your Passages
Before you set a waypoint, understand the rhythm of this place. The Maistro, also known as the Maestral, is the defining wind pattern of the Ionian sailing season, with this northwesterly breeze dominating from late May through September. 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. For motorboat skippers, this pattern is a gift: mornings are often calm and ideal for passages, while afternoons run 12 to 20 knots, with peaks to 25.
The practical implication at the helm is to run your longer legs early. Depart D-Marin Lefkas by 0730, and you’ll arrive at Fiskardo on Kefalonia in comfortable conditions with the flat-water window still open. Leave it until midday, and the 20-knot Maistro building across open water turns a 25-mile passage into a wet, corkscrewing slog. The prevailing wind is channelled and funnelled by the significant mountainous land masses in its path, so it can vary in strength and direction quite quickly. Watch the cloud caps on Kefalonia’s Mount Ainos — they build before the wind arrives at sea level, giving you a reliable 30-minute warning.
The shoulder season is where this cruising ground truly excels. September is the quiet favourite of many regular charterers: water is at its annual peak, the main wave of tourists has gone home, the wind is steady, and the evening light turns golden. Berths open up at Fiskardo and Vathy that would be impossible to secure in August, and the tavernas — no longer overwhelmed — actually cook well.
Lefkada: Threading the Canal and Working the East Coast
Your first challenge arriving from the north or from Preveza is the Lefkas Canal. Lefkas Marina lies at the north end of the canal that separates the island of Lefkas from the mainland coast of Greece, linking the Ionian Sea to the Inland Sea to the south. The floating bridge across the northern entrance is timed — until 15 September 2026 the bridge opens for marine traffic at 08:00, 10:00, 14:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00, and 22:00. Miss a slot and you’ll wait up to three hours; the bridge supposedly keeps a listening watch on VHF channel 12 under the call sign “Floating Bridge Santa Maura,” but this is not always the case. Plan your approach to arrive at least 20 minutes ahead of the opening, and hold your position to the south of the bridge — do not crowd it. Throughout the channel the depth is about 3.5 metres, so even larger boats will have no problems, but watch the northern section where shoaling can catch out an inattentive helmsman.
D-Marin Lefkas is the natural base for the Ionian. The total capacity is 620 berths, accommodating up to 45 metres length and a draft of 4 metres, plus 280 dry berths. Contact the marina via VHF on channel 69 upon arrival and go to the office to process check-in paperwork. The fuel berth sits at the end of the entry jetty — you can moor to it from any of its three sides, making it an easy first stop before being assigned a stern-to berth on one of the seven pontoons.
South of town, the anchorage of Vlicho Bay deserves more attention than it gets from first-timers rushing south. Its calm waters and excellent protection from all wind directions make it one of the safest anchorages in the Ionian, even during strong blows. The bay is popular among cruisers for extended stays thanks to easy anchoring, good holding, and proximity to yacht services, while tavernas, small shops, and repair facilities line the shore. Anchor in 4–8 metres over excellent holding mud, and take the dinghy the short distance to Nidri for provisioning at any of the small supermarkets along the waterfront. This is a far better overnight choice than Nidri itself, whose anchorage becomes crowded and rolly when charter fleets rotate over weekends.
Before you leave Lefkada’s east coast, load your charts. The Navionics Boating app with the Adriatic & Ionian Seas subscription covers every waypoint and anchorage in this guide with depth contours and community-sourced sonar data. The Adriatic & Ionian Seas annual subscription is priced at $49.99. It is the single most useful tool on the nav table for this cruising ground, particularly for the approach into Vathy and the tighter anchorages around Ithaca’s east coast.
Kefalonia: The Big Island — Fiskardo to Argostoli
In this Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca, Kefalonia demands the most passage planning. Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands, located south of Lefkada and west of Ithaca, with a high and mountainous profile rising to over 1,600 metres at Mount Ainos, and a coastline characterised by deep bays, steep cliffs, and well-defined harbours. From D-Marin Lefkas, the run south to Fiskardo is approximately 25 nautical miles — a comfortable two-hour cruise in a well-found 9-metre sportsboat, or 90 minutes if you’re aboard something with twin 300hp beneath the deck.
Fiskardo is the obvious first landfall on Kefalonia’s north tip. The approach to Fiskardo at 38°27’31N / 20°34’58E is free of dangers, with the lighthouse on the north side of the entrance easily identified to guide you into the bay. This picturesque village houses beautiful Venetian architecture and is one of the few places in the area that remained largely standing following the major 1953 earthquake. The challenge is finding a berth. The small harbour is almost always crowded and it pays to arrive early — even arriving by midday, your only option may be to anchor on the north side of the harbour with lines ashore. If you are lucky enough to find quay space, go stern-to, but be aware that the harbour master will keep the ferry quay and tripper boat quay free until late afternoon — don’t be fooled by what looks like open space. The preferred option for motorboats over 10 metres is the east quay, stern-to, which avoids the chaos of crossed anchors, or long-lined on the east side.
Running south down Kefalonia’s west coast, the anchorage at Assos provides a spectacular overnight stop. Nestled between green hills, this fishing hamlet brims with pastel-toned homes beneath a Venetian castle, and you can anchor near the protected bay for lunch or an overnight stay. The holding is good in sand once your anchor is through the light weed layer, and depths run 4–8 metres in the main anchoring area. Do not leave the bow unattended in the afternoon Maistro — the gusts off the hillsides can be sharp and localised.
Further south, Agia Effimia on the east coast is the practical skipper’s choice for reprovisioning. In Agia Effimia you will be assigned a berth by the harbourmaster on VHF 74. For the full service experience, press on to Argostoli. Berthing at Argostoli is stern-to or alongside, with depths typically 3–3.5 metres alongside, and the port supports over 200 berths with access to water, electricity, fuel, sanitary facilities, chandlery, and technical services — making it the only location on the island with meaningful yacht support capability.
Ithaca: The Mythic Island, Practised from the Water
No Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca is complete without spending proper time on Homer’s island. The crossing from Fiskardo to Vathy is 12 nautical miles southeast — leave at 0800 and you’re dropping the hook before the Maistro builds. Ithaca 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. As a result, Ithaca has been a natural haven for sailors for centuries.
Vathy (Vathi) is the capital and principal harbour, approached through a long enclosed inlet on the east coast. Depths reduce from 30–40 metres outside to 10–15 metres at the entrance, then 5–8 metres inside the bay. Around 20 yachts can moor at the quay in depths ranging from 4.0 metres at the north end to 3.5 metres at the south end. If the quay is full — and in July and August, it will be — anchor further into the bay; the bottom is mud and holding is excellent. The prevailing NW summer wind makes the eastern side of the island the primary cruising ground, with most harbours and anchorages concentrated here, often requiring stern lines due to rapidly increasing depths and limited swinging room.
One critical operational note: there is a filling station for boats at Mylos in Vathy for fuel, lubricants, and water. Depths at the fuel pontoon are variable, ranging from 2 to 6.5 metres, and opening hours run 8am to 8pm. Come in on the engine only — this is not the place to be hand-steering under sail in a tight space with ferry wash arriving from the port entrance. At night and early morning, incoming and outbound ferries generate a high level of noise and considerable swell, so anchor well clear of the ferry berth and lay extra chain.
North of Vathy, Kioni is the anchorage that will make your crew reach for their cameras. Three old windmills overlook a tiny horseshoe harbour. Kioni Bay provides anchoring in 5–10 metres over mud and sand with good holding and protection from prevailing winds, though limited space is available. Arrive before 1500 in high season — it fills completely by late afternoon and late arrivals anchor off the entrance in open water, which is uncomfortable once the afternoon NW sets in.
Boat-Only Stops: The Anchorages You Can’t Reach Any Other Way
This is where the motorboat skipper’s advantage over the land tourist becomes absolute. The Ionian hides its best locations behind headlands and inside fjord-like inlets that have no road, no car park, and no bus service. The ease of hopping between islands with line-of-sight navigation, predictable weather patterns, and discovering a new swimming spot around every corner to bathe in warm turquoise waters is exactly what makes this region a sailor’s paradise.
Gidaki Beach, Ithaca is the single best argument for having a tender on your stern platform. Gidaki beach is an attractive and isolated beach accessed only by boat from the port of Vathy, with an adventurous hiking trail that locals only use and consider very tiring. It is an exotic beach backed by white cliffs topped with verdant vegetation, with water colour ranging from deep blue to green. Anchor in 6–10 metres over a sand bottom with seaweed patches and swim ashore — depths increase rapidly, so anchor as close to the beach as possible; around the yellow swimming buoys the depth is about 8 metres.
Foki Bay, Kefalonia, a few miles south of Fiskardo, rewards the skipper willing to explore. A great anchorage for an overnight stay in settled conditions, it is just a scenic ten minutes by dinghy from Fiskardo town and its high-class restaurants, while the bay itself has crystal clear water home to sea turtles and is surrounded by Mediterranean pine trees. The north shore of the bay takes long-lines to the rocks — depths run 10–12 metres with holding only moderate in sand and weed, so make sure your anchor is well dug in.
On Lefkada’s east coast, the island chain south of Nidri — Madouri, Sparti, Skorpios, and Meganisi — provides an afternoon of island-hopping that is simply impossible to replicate any other way. Charter operators based in Nidri know this well, and it is one of the main reasons D-Marin Lefkas has become one of the most important centres for charter fleets and private yachts in the Ionian region. If you’re planning a week aboard and want a competent local skipper to show you the route, booking through an established Ionian charter operator via a platform such as Click&Boat or Navigare Yachting gives you access to vessels already based in D-Marin, with local knowledge baked in.
Practical Planning: Charts, Fuel, Provisioning and Berth Reservations
Here is the operational framework the Nautiful Team uses when briefing guests on this circuit:
- Charts: Load the Navionics Boating app (Adriatic & Ionian Seas, ~€46/year) before departure. The SonarChart HD layer is particularly useful for Ithaca’s anchorages where the shelf drops fast. Cross-reference with the Imray chart G12 (Southern Ionian) as a paper backup.
- Fuel: D-Marin Lefkas has its fuel berth at the end of the entry jetty; you can moor to the fuel pontoon from any of its three sides. Next fuel at Agia Effimia or Argostoli on Kefalonia, and the station at Mylos/Vathy on Ithaca. Do not assume fuel is available at Fiskardo or Kioni — carry jerry cans if your range is marginal.
- Provisioning: D-Marin Lefkas has a supermarket within the marina complex. Argostoli has the best provisioning on the three-island circuit — a full supermarket a short walk from the town quay. Vathy on Ithaca has a small but well-stocked chandlery and provisions for week-long replenishment.
- Berth bookings: D-Marin Lefkas can be pre-booked online (email: lefkas@d-marin.com). Fiskardo and Kioni cannot be reserved — they operate first-come, first-served. Arrive by 1300 at the latest in July–August. For organised charter flotillas, a booking agent such as Sunsail or Moorings can hold berths at partner facilities across the circuit.
- VHF channels to monitor: D-Marin Lefkas on Ch 69; Agia Effimia harbourmaster on Ch 74; Lefkas floating bridge on Ch 12. Maintain a watch on Ch 16 throughout all passages and listen for the Greek coastguard weather broadcasts in English at 06:00, 10:00, 16:00, and 22:00 local time.
The Circuit: A Suggested Seven-Day Route
For motorboats based at D-Marin Lefkas, the Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca circuit runs naturally as follows: Day 1 — transit the canal, anchor Vlicho Bay. Day 2 — early run south to Fiskardo, overnight on the east quay or anchor in Foki Bay. Day 3 — south to Assos for lunch hook, press to Agia Effimia for the night. Day 4 — Agia Effimia to Vathy, Ithaca: check fuel, anchor or quay berth. Day 5 — tender to Gidaki beach AM, north to Kioni for the night. Day 6 — Kioni to Frikes for morning coffee, then north back to Fiskardo for a final evening ashore. Day 7 — return leg to D-Marin