There is a moment, somewhere between throttling back and watching the bow wave flatten to nothing, when the Ionian simply stops you. The water turns from deep blue to a green so pale it seems lit from beneath. A limestone headland leans into the sky on your port side. Three fishing boats sit motionless ahead. You are not arriving anywhere — you are, at last, exactly where you should be.
This is the Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca, written entirely from the water. No rental cars, no tourist buses, no landmarks visible from the road. Every waypoint, every anchorage, every taverna mentioned here is approached by engine or anchor, dinghy or tender. This is how the Nautiful team moves through these islands — and how, we believe, they are best understood.
Understanding the Ionian Before You Leave the Dock
The Ionian is not the Aegean. If you have spent time bashing windward in the Cyclades under a persistent Force 6 Meltemi, the southern Ionian will feel like a different sea entirely — and it is. The Ionian’s weather consistency comes from three interlocking factors: a daily thermal breeze called the Maistros that cycles like clockwork from May to September, an island chain that physically shields the region from the stronger Aegean winds, and a summer-long Mediterranean high-pressure system that suppresses storm risk.
The Maistros is your engine schedule and your itinerary planner rolled into one. The typical summer wind blows from the northwest and builds only by midday. Mornings are often calm. Afternoons bring a steady 12 to 20 knots, sometimes up to 25, almost never more. For a motorboat skipper, this is almost perfect: depart early under flat water, be tucked into your anchorage before the afternoon chop arrives. 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 — which means local knowledge matters more than a general forecast.
Distances between islands typically run 10 to 25 nautical miles, or two to five hours of sailing. On a capable express cruiser or a well-found flybridge, you can cover the triangle of Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca in a week at a relaxed pace, or push it hard over a long weekend. We recommend the former.
Before you depart, load your chart plotter with Navionics+ with SonarChart for the Ionian. The crowdsourced depth data here is unusually good — private coves that don’t appear on official Greek charts show up with real-world soundings logged by skippers who came before you. Pair it with the Navionics Boating app as a secondary screen on your tablet and you have two independent chart sources without adding a single extra piece of hardware to the helm station.
Lefkada: The Canal, D-Marin and the Meganisi Back-Door
Lefkada is the gateway island for the great majority of Ionian passages departing from mainland Greece, and it announces itself with its most characterful piece of navigation: the Lefkas Canal. To enter from the north, you need to pass through a floating bridge that services cars travelling to and from the mainland. This rotating bridge opens the channel for sailing vessels to pass. According to the latest update from Lefkada Port Authority, as of 29 June 2026 the schedule returns to normal: until 15 September, the bridge opens at 08:00, 10:00, 14:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00, and 22:00. Always confirm current times on VHF Channel 12 with the bridge operator, call sign “Floating Bridge Santa Maura,” before committing to an approach — the schedule has shifted repeatedly in recent seasons.
From the south, the approach to the canal is more straightforward. A conspicuous ruined Venetian fort a couple of hundred metres to starboard of the canal is a useful landmark from distance. Identify the first pairs of buoys, maintain mid-channel, and you will arrive at D-Marin Lefkas without drama.
D-Marin Lefkas is a modern marina located next to the centre of historic Lefkas, with 620 berths for yachts to 45 metres. Hail the marina on VHF channel 69 on approach. The marina lies inside a long, L-shaped wavebreak pontoon that shelters the berths from east and north. Entry is from south between the wavebreak pontoon and the jetty with the fuel berth at its end. You will be mooring stern-to the indicated berth using mooring lines; anchors are not to be used within the marina. Berthing costs approximately €120 per day for a 12-metre monohull, water and electricity not included, though this varies by season and length of stay.
Provisions here are easy — the marina complex includes a supermarket and restaurants reachable on foot from the pontoon. For the swim spots, you will need to move the boat. An overnight in the mirror-flat anchorage off Meganisi’s Spartochori Bay, just 8 nautical miles south-southeast of D-Marin, sets the tone for everything that follows. Drop anchor in 8–10 metres over white sand, take your tender ashore and walk up to the village. Come back after dark. Nobody does that from the car park.
Kefalonia: Fiskardo, Assos and the Secrets of Sami Bay
The crossing from Lefkada to Kefalonia’s northern tip is one of the great short passages in Mediterranean motor boating. Set a course for the lighthouse at Fiskardo at around 38°27’N / 20°34’E, keep the mountains of Lefkada astern and let the Ionian open out around you. Approaches to Kefalonia are made in open Ionian waters with generally deep, steep-to coastlines, allowing close approach in depths typically exceeding 30–100 metres. The island is prominent, with high terrain providing clear visual identification.
Fiskardo is where almost every northbound passage calls first, and for good reason — but arrive before noon or you will circle looking for space. The small harbour is almost always crowded and it pays to arrive early, especially during the peak months of July and August. At Fiskardo, mooring options include: at the breakwater at 3.5–4 metres depth, at the west dock at 2–3 metres, and at the ferry dock on the north side, provided you leave by 11:00. Our preferred approach: along the north shore 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. Shelter here is good in all but strong east or south winds.
From the hook of Fiskardo, swing your tender southward to Foki Bay — five minutes under engine. The bay has crystal-clear water, home to sea turtles, and is surrounded by Mediterranean pine trees. It has a huge cave with several chambers you can walk around. No road access. No day-trippers from shore. Pure boat privilege.
For those willing to brave some complexity for huge reward, Assos on Kefalonia’s west coast is worth a detour in settled conditions. Although an absolute gem, Assos is only suitable in lighter air; the anchorage quickly becomes untenable in rougher conditions, certainly in northerlies. Assos maintains consistent 4–8 metre depths. Time it right — a calm morning before the Maistros builds — and you will find yourself in one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the Mediterranean.
Moving south and east, Agia Efimia offers a practical overnight for those pushing on to Ithaca. Agia Efimia provides a purpose-used yacht harbour with quay berthing, commonly used by charter vessels. 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 available, but no full marina infrastructure. Fuel by arrangement — ask at the quay.
For full provisioning on Kefalonia, Argostoli is your best call. Argostoli provides the most comprehensive provisioning on Kefalonia, with multiple supermarkets including AB Vasilopoulos, Lidl, and Sklavenitis. The approach into the long gulf is straightforward; berth stern-to on the town quay and walk to the market in minutes.
Ithaca: Vathy, Kioni and the Beaches Only a Boat Can Find
Thirteen nautical miles across the Kefalonia Channel, Ithaca appears as a steep, dark spine of limestone rising from a flat sea. 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.
The approach to Vathy — also written Vathi — is one of those passages that stays with you. There are no hazards in the approach to Vathi, which is entered from northwest from the larger Gulf of Molo. With fresh afternoon sea breezes, however, there can often be strong gusts off the mountains at the head of the gulf, and it may be wise to use the motor in such circumstances, especially as there may be a ferry leaving as you arrive. The tiny islet of Lazareto appears to starboard as you enter the inner bay — a perfect visual marker that you are in the right place.
The port of Vathy is a natural harbour and provides excellent anchorage, known from Homeric times as particularly sheltered. Around 20 yachts can anchor and moor at the main quay in depths ranging from 4.0 metres at the north end to 3.5 metres at the south end. Holding here is reasonable in soft mud and weed once the anchor is well dug in, but it can require two or three attempts to make sure it is holding. Vathy has the most reliable services: water, fuel, small supermarket, and chandlery. Vathy is also a port of entry — customs and the harbourmaster’s office sit at the south end of the quay.
For the most atmospheric anchorage on Ithaca, push north to Kioni, four miles up the east coast. Kioni is easy to identify from seaward — on the south side of the bay, three ruined stone windmills stand on the headland with houses scattered up the hillside above. 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. Arrive before the afternoon Maistros sets in — the afternoon does bring some strong NW gusts that make mooring either stern-to on the quay or long-lined to the cliffs challenging with a crosswind.
For the island’s best swim-only spot, head for Gidaki Beach, a fifteen-minute run north of Vathy. Gidaki is one of Ithaca’s most beautiful beaches with turquoise waters. It can only be reached by boat or via a long and demanding walk. Around the yellow swimming buoys, the depth is about 8 metres. Drop the hook, deploy the swim platform and stay for the afternoon. There is a small beach bar — reachable by dinghy — for cold Mythos and fresh octopus.
Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Practical Passage Notes
Any thorough Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca has to address the nuts and bolts of running this triangle effectively. Here is what the Nautiful team has learned from multiple seasons.
- Charts: Run Navionics+ on your plotter as primary, updated with the latest SonarChart community data. Cross-reference against Imray G12 (South Ionian Islands, corrected to January 2024) for harbour approach plans — Imray charts include many anchorages, facilities and inlets not included on official charts, and this edition includes the latest official data combined with additional information sourced from Imray’s network.
- Weather: Check Poseidon System (the Greek national marine forecast) alongside Windy on the ICON-EU model. Greek VHF forecasts in English and Greek are broadcast at 06:00, 10:00, 16:00 and 22:00 (UTC+2). Gale warnings are given at the beginning of the broadcast, and a special security warning on Channel 16 gives all VHF frequencies for different areas.
- Fuel: Fill at D-Marin Lefkas before departure. A fuel station is at the entrance of the marina. The next reliable diesel dock southbound is at Argostoli. Carry sufficient range for a 60-mile diversion — you may need it.
- Med mooring: In most Greek ports and harbours, you will be doing stern-to mooring at town quays or marina piers. This means you drop your anchor a boat-length or two off the quay and then reverse in, securing your stern lines to the dock. Have at least 50 metres of stern lines ready each side, fenders deployed before the approach and someone stationed at the bow to monitor the anchor chain.
- Booking berths: For D-Marin Lefkas, book via the D-Marin website or their app. For Fiskardo, book harbour berths 2–3 weeks ahead during July–August peak season, as space fills quickly with both charter and private yachts. Kioni and Vathy operate on first-come, first-served — arrive by 14:00 in July and August.
Planning Your Route: The Classic Ionian Triangle
The most satisfying motor passage in the southern Ionian runs as follows: depart D-Marin Lefkas at 07:00, transit south through the canal or bypass via the open sea to the west, cross to Fiskardo for the first night. Day two: Assos or Agia Efimia depending on conditions. Day three: across to Vathy, Ithaca. Day four: north to Kioni, linger for two nights. Day five: back north across the Kefalonia Channel, around the top of the island and up to Lefkada by late afternoon — marina booked, table at a harbour-front restaurant reserved.
That is just five days of movement with four nights at anchor or on a quay. You will cover perhaps 120 nautical miles in total. At a comfortable 18 knots, you are looking at six to seven hours of engine time across the entire trip — which leaves the rest for swimming, eating and staring at water.
For charter operators in the region — several of which base fleets at D-Marin Lefkas and Argostoli — this circuit also works beautifully as a structured bareboat itinerary. If you are chartering and less familiar with Med mooring procedures, a two-hour handling session at the marina before departure is worth every cent. Local charter companies with Ionian experience can also pre-brief you on the specific anchorage conditions at Fiskardo and Kioni that no general guide fully captures.
The Ionian Rewards Those Who Arrive by Water
There is a version of Kefalonia, Lefkada and Ithaca that millions of visitors experience every summer — the version accessed by ferry, hire car and bus transfer. It is a perfectly good version, with good beaches, good food and good company. But it is not the version described in this Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca.
The version we are describing involves Gidaki Beach at 07:30 with nobody else there. It involves reversing a 14-metre express cruiser into the Kioni quay as the windmills catch the evening light. It involves anchoring off Assos in 5 metres of water so clear you can see your chain link by link on the white sand below. It involves eating grilled fish off the back of your swim platform with Ithaca silent and dark around you at 22:00.
This version requires a boat, a chart, and the willingness to go. The Nautiful team has done the research. Now it is your turn.
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