There is a stretch of Ionian water — roughly 45 nautical miles of it — where three Greek islands arrange themselves like an argument you never want to end. Lefkada announces itself from the north through a dredged canal and a swinging road bridge. Kefalonia rises from the south like a mountain that changed its mind and stayed at sea. And Ithaca — compact, deep-sided, mythologically loaded — slips between them like a secret. This Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca is written entirely from the water, because that is the only honest way to understand them. No rental cars. No tour buses. Just the depth sounder, the VHF, and an afternoon wind you can set your watch by.
Reading the Ionian: Weather, Wind and the Maistro Rhythm
Before a single mooring line goes over a cleat, you need to understand how this cruising ground breathes. Winds are moderate and weather patterns follow a reliable daily rhythm through the main season from May to September — the primary summer wind is the Maistros, a north-westerly sea breeze that builds gently around midday, peaks in the afternoon at Force 3–5, and dies down by sunset. That is not poetry; it is a schedule you can build a passage plan around.
In the Ionian in the height of summer, not a breath stirs before 11am, then a gradually building medium breeze arrives ideal for a relaxed afternoon, before the wind goes to sleep shortly before dusk. The shape of the southern Ionian, sheltered by Lefkas and Kefalonia, also means you’re almost always sailing in flat water. For a motor cruiser — whether you’re pushing a Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1095 or stepping off a Cranchi E30 Endurance — this matters enormously. The Ionian does not punish you with the Aegean’s notorious Meltemi. Unlike the Aegean — where the Meltemi can blow at Force 6–8 for days in July and August — the Ionian is largely sheltered from those stronger winds.
The tactical takeaway: depart early, make your passage in the calm morning hours, anchor by early afternoon, and let the Maistro entertain you from a cockpit chair. The main season runs from early May to the end of September, with June and September considered the best months by experienced charterers — the weather is reliably warm, the Maistro fills in dependably at midday, and the bays aren’t yet or no longer overcrowded.
Before you depart, load your chartplotter with the Navionics Boating app — Adriatic & Ionian Sea region chart. Upon purchasing any Navionics+ mapping solution, you receive a one-year subscription including daily updates and advanced features, with renewal available at a discounted rate thereafter. Using proprietary systems, Navionics creates 0.5m bathymetry charts incorporating sonar data shared by the boating community, with local insights contributed by app users. In a cruising ground where charted depths can surprise you — particularly on approach to older quays and inside smaller inlets — that community-verified bathymetry is worth every cent.
Lefkada: The Canal Approach and D-Marin as Your Northern Base
Arriving at Lefkada from the north is one of the more theatrical harbour approaches in the entire Mediterranean. You pass through the Lefkada Canal, a shallow dredged channel that connects the lagoon to the open sea near Aktion — pay close attention to the channel markers, as depths can be limited. The canal leads you directly past the famous floating bridge, the only road crossing between Lefkada and the mainland at this point.
The bridge opens only at scheduled times throughout the day to allow vessels to pass between the southern and northern sections of the lagoon. If you are arriving from the north or planning to depart northward, time your passage carefully to align with the opening schedule. The bridge does not wait for dawdlers — it opens for 10–15 minutes, or practically until the waiting vessels have passed. Get on VHF 12 if you need a night passage, but do not rely on it.
Once through, D-Marin Lefkas Marina is on your port side, and it is the most organised base in the northern Ionian. The total capacity 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 on channel 69 upon arrival, and go to the office to process check-in paperwork. All berths are equipped with electricity at 220V and 380V, and fresh water. The marina accommodates mechanical, electrical, sails repair, carpentry, and haul-out with a 150-tonne travel lift. If you’ve pushed hard down from Corfu and something needs attention, this is where you sort it.
The east coast satellite anchorage at Nidri is the launching pad for the inner islands. From Nidri’s harbour you can run a day loop east to Meganisi — the largest port of Meganisi is on the north coast, deep in a sheltered bay where berths are protected from practically all winds. The Maistro that affects the channel near Lefkada can be lively in summer, so plan your Meganisi run for the calm morning window and be back on the hook by early afternoon.
South of Lefkada town, the island offers a cruising ground that is best accessed by dinghy or tender. Porto Katsiki and Egremni on the west coast are reachable only by sea or a precipitous cliff path — approach from the south under engine in the morning calm, drop anchor in 8–12 metres, and swim directly off the transom. No queuing. No car park. Just white limestone and Ionian blue.
Kefalonia: Three Ports, One Spectacular Island
The passage south from Lefkada to Kefalonia — roughly 30 miles to Fiskardo at the northern tip — is the centrepiece run of any Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide. Kefalonia’s dramatic limestone cliffs and deep-water approaches provide excellent shelter from prevailing north-westerly winds. The island’s geological structure forms numerous protected coves and inlets that remain calm even when open waters experience rougher conditions, and Mount Ainos, rising to over 1,600 metres, acts as a natural windbreak, creating lee shores along much of the coastline.
Fiskardo is where you arrive first and where you will want to linger. 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 — Venetian-style pastel houses line the quay, and tourists flock here as a result. The approach is clean: free of dangers, the lighthouse on the north side of the entrance is easily identified and will guide you to the bay. Inside, 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.
The small harbour is almost always crowded and it pays to arrive early, especially during July and August. Even arriving as early as midday, your only option may be to anchor on the north side with lines ashore. This is not a hardship. Stern-to anchoring on a long line to Fiskardo’s rock rings, with a table booked at Tassia restaurant reachable by a two-minute dinghy run — that is the Ionian at its finest.
Working south, Agia Efimia on the east coast offers a more practical base for exploring the interior. Agia Efimia is a purpose-used yacht harbour commonly used by charter vessels; berthing is stern-to in depths typically 3–5 metres alongside, with good holding in adjacent anchorage areas. Facilities include water and electricity with local support services available, though no full marina infrastructure. The harbour offers good all-round shelter except in strong easterlies. Contact the harbour master on VHF 74 for a berth assignment.
For a pure swimming stop on Kefalonia, Myrtos Beach is unmissable from the water. Myrtos is the most famous beach in Kefalonia, renowned for its brilliant turquoise water and dramatic steep cliffs. The bay is open to the north and west, offering no shelter from the prevailing north-westerly winds, and swimming buoys prevent boats from anchoring close to the beach. Typical anchoring depth is around 15 metres. Myrtos is ideal for a morning visit or a lunch stop, but is not recommended for an overnight stay. Come early, before the Maistro builds.
Assos, four miles south of Fiskardo, deserves a dedicated stop. Assos appears from the sea as a village pinned to a narrow isthmus with a wooded peninsula behind it; the Venetian castle wall runs along the ridge of that peninsula, and from a boat the whole layout of harbour, neck of land and fortress hill sits inside one frame. Assos maintains consistent anchorage depths of 4–8 metres — good sandy-mud holding in the south of the bay, good protection when the prevailing NW is running.
Ithaca: The Channel Passage and Vathy’s Deep-Set Harbour
The passage between Kefalonia and Ithaca is one of the great short stretches in Mediterranean motor boating — just three miles across the Ithaca Channel at its narrowest, from Fiskardo’s headland to Ithaca’s north coast. Primary approaches are from north and south via the channel between the two islands. It is deep and clear with depths of 50–150 metres mid-channel, shoaling to 20–40 metres within one nautical mile of either coast. Wind acceleration and short seas occur with NW winds, particularly in the northern entrance — time your crossing for the morning calm if you’re in a tender-hulled day boat rather than a larger displacement cruiser.
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 — a natural haven for sailors for centuries.
Vathy, the island’s main harbour, is one of those anchorages that rewards you for the effort of finding the entrance. The main port lies on the south-east coast and is entered through a narrow, well-defined inlet. Depths reduce from 30–40 metres outside to 10–15 metres at the entrance, then 5–8 metres inside the bay. The entrance is free of hazards but requires accurate alignment; once inside, the bay is fully enclosed and sheltered. The port of Vathy is a natural harbour providing excellent anchorage, known from Homeric times as particularly sheltered. Anchored boats find a safe haven without additional support; it is protected from all winds except the north-west, which blows in gusts.
For berthing, around 20 yachts can anchor-moor at the main quay here, 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. If the quay is full — and in July it will be by early afternoon — anchoring in the bay is common. Aim to anchor close to the town centre for shallower depths, or south-west of the Lazaretto islet for reduced wind exposure. Expect NW gusts. The bottom is mud, and holding is excellent.
Kioni, eight miles north of Vathy, is the stop that makes hardened skippers go quiet. The village is most attractive, tucked into a wooded cleft at the foot of a deep valley and partially protected from the east by a rocky promontory lined with ruined windmills. Approach identification is straightforward: 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 water depths of 2.5 to 10 metres; the steeply sloped seabed means it makes sense to use a long chain. Alternatively, boats can anchor in the bay or inside the harbour. Arrive before 14:00. Kioni fills early, and late arrivals find themselves anchored further out with a longer dinghy ride.
Passage Planning: Connecting the Three Islands
The logical sequence for a one-week circuit based from D-Marin Lefkas runs: Lefkada town → Nidri → Meganisi → Fiskardo → Assos/Myrtos swim stop → Agia Efimia → Sami → Vathy → Kioni → Fiskardo → back north. That is roughly 120 miles in total — eminently achievable in seven days at 15–20 knots, with time to swim at every stop.
- Lefkada to Fiskardo: 30 NM. Depart early, transit the canal, pass south through the Lefkada channel. Allow 2.5 hours in a 25-knot cruiser.
- Fiskardo to Vathy (Ithaca): 10 NM across the Ithaca Channel. Morning crossing, calm water. 45 minutes at cruise speed.
- Vathy to Kioni: 8 NM up Ithaca’s east coast. Easy afternoon run, depths clear of hazards along the entire coast.
- Kioni to Agia Efimia (Kefalonia): 6 NM west across the channel. Short hop, sheltered by Kefalonia’s mass.
- Agia Efimia to Sami: 4 NM south on Kefalonia’s east coast. Straightforward. At Sami, verified anchorage depth is 2–4 metres over mud, protected from N, NE, E, and NW.
For charter bookings in this cruising ground, operators based at D-Marin Lefkas offer bareboat and skippered options on everything from Jeanneau Leader 10.5s to Prestige 590s. Book your berth well in advance for July and August — D-Marin marinas fill quickly during peak charter season. Online marina booking through the D-Marin portal locks in your dates and saves the anxiety of arriving without a berth in high summer.
Provisioning, Fuel and What to Reach by Dinghy
Fuel in this cruising ground concentrates at the major harbours. At Lefkada, marine diesel is available via the fixed fuel berth and road tanker delivery directly to quay or marina berths at Lefkas Marina — the fuel dock lies at the end of a jetty inside the marina, accessible from either of its three sides. At Agia Efimia, fuel is available quayside. At Vathy, water and fuel can be delivered by tanker truck when the main berths are full.
For provisioning, Argostoli on Kefalonia provides the most comprehensive reprovisioning on the island, with AB Vasilopoulos, Lidl, and Sklavenitis supermarkets all represented. Sami is handier for boats on the eastern circuit — a 10-minute walk from the quay reaches a small but well-stocked supermarket. At Fiskardo, three supermarkets serve the harbour, with the biggest in the refurbished main square. Bring the dinghy, load the cool-box, and be back aboard before the Maistro builds.
Restaurants reachable directly by tender — the non-negotiable kind — include: Tassia at Fiskardo (tie to the restaurant’s own ring on the quay wall, directly below the terrace); the waterfront tavernas at Kioni (dinghy to the fishing boat steps at the south end of the harbour); and the quayside tavernas at Vathy, where you land at the stone steps beside the main quay and walk 20 metres. This is the Ionian: every great meal is a short dinghy ride from the anchor.
Your Next Passage Starts Here
The Greece Ionian Islands Sailing Guide: Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca is, in the end, not really three destinations. It is one cruising ground with three moods — the organised northern hub of D-Marin Lefkas, the dramatic limestone theatre of Kefalonia, and the mythic stillness of Ithaca