The South Ionian Islands Sailing Itinerary
Overview
Cerulean waters, endless tzatziki, Mythos beer...we wanted it all with our first Mediterranean voyage, to Greece, as a group (I had done the Cyclades years ago as First Mate). Our interest was only heightened with a Greek crew member who ensured we ate at the best places at each port and ordered the right meals. We planned for this trip differently than others, going light on the provisioning, knowing we would maximize our time eating out. Reviewing Mediterranean mooring techniques was also a first order of business given that we had to do this at almost every stop, including long lines ashore, which was new to most of the crew.
Itinerary Stops
An overview of our South Ionian itinerary with locations
Charter Company - Dream Yacht Charter
The Dream Yacht Charter base is located centrally in Lefkas Marina, with plenty of hand wagons to carry gear. The grocery store we used, AB Vasilopoulous was a bit of walk down the road, so we used the rental car to drive down there and provision before we parked for the trip. Overall, it was packed as expected and we opted for regular check-in (European charters tend to have a Saturday afternoon check-in with an expected Friday afternoon return). This was fine as we wanted to get to Kalamos first, which was going to be a longer sail the next day.
Vessel Selection - Lagoon 46
We continued using Lagoon’s, this time with their 46 version, which clocks in at nearly 48’ length overall.
The boat we had was well maintained with no apparent issues when we first set sail, nor over time throughout the charter. The bow sitting area is a great combo with the trampolines, where you can have a mixture of socializing and laying out.
Day 1 (Saturday): Marina Lefkas
Strategy
We were meeting up in Lefkas with the group and didn’t anticipate an early departure. We also weren’t exactly sure about getting to our first destination (Kalamos) in time, so took it easy the first day by staying at Marina Lefkas. The marina itself was bustling as it was the middle of the European holidays. There were multiple restaurants all along the marina that served wonderful seafood.
Day 2 (Sunday): Lefkada to Kalamos with Stop at Potomaki Beach
Marina Lefkas to Kalamos with a stop at Paleros: 25.5nm
Strategy
Our plan for the first sail day was to get through the Lefkas channel, swim and lunch at Potomaki beach and then sail to Kalamos for the evening.
In retrospect we probably should have tried for an early departure and spent the first night anchored at Potomaki beach, as it was absolutely gorgeous and had great sand hold.
Either way our strategy was to head to Kalamos on the second day as it seemed a little more off cycle than the major other destinations.
Potomaki Beach near Paleros has crystal clear water and good sand holding as you near the shore
Where We Docked / Moored / Anchored
One of the reasons it would have been better to have started earlier was how fast Kalamos Marina fills up. We arrived at the entrance of the marina around 3:30pm and were the last of a handful of boats that could fit.
George is known as the unofficial marina master, racing around in his tender directing vessels. There's no slime lines here so he has a fairly well thought out mediterranean mooring strategy worked out for each boat. We anchored in one corner of the marina and snaked our way back to a space near the entrance. George was screaming directions the whole time, which was entertaining.
Part of the deal with this assistance is you eat at his restaurant, which was very good.
Onshore
While docked at Kalamos we had time for a short walk through town and down a path that led to a secluded beach for a swim. The water was crystal clear as much of the Ionian Sea. We've marked a rough estimate of where it is, but this could have changed since it seemed like there was construction along the path we walked (and make sure not to go through someone’s private property!).
Day 3 (Monday): Kalamos to Kioni with Stop at Formikoula
Kalamos to Kioni with a Stop at Formikoula: 16.2nm
Strategy
Formikoula Island has a main cove with well setting anchorage and possibly the best snorkeling in the South Ionians.
Kioni is a "must stop here" port town that is quintessential Ionian with vibrant colors, amazing tavernas, and perfect little harbor. It's pretty much a straight shot from Kalamos, but given the distance we had plenty of time to do a swim stop at Formikoula, a small rocky island mass that has great snorkeling and known for their wildlife.
It's worth getting to Formikoula early as tour boats start arriving around 11am. This worked well as we knew Kioni would fill up, so we did more of a morning to late morning swim at Formikoula and then made our way to Kioni.
Where We Docked / Moored / Anchored
Like many of the main stops along the South Ionians in August, Kioni fills up quickly. We arrived around 3pm and the interior harbor was full.
There was a perfect spot for long lines ashore about halfway between the opening of the harbor to the end. The rocks have many metal rods and loops to tie up securely. Just make sure to go far out in the channel to drop anchor as you back up. We also got very lucky as there is a freshwater fill up right near where we anchored.
In retrospect, our anchorage was better than being in the village area as we could easily swim off the back of the boat and avoided the loud, bustling marina area.
Cooper Island was filled with mooring balls, several which weren’t maintained post-Irma. Check the moorings even if they look upgraded.
Onshore
Our boat with long lines ashore in Kioni
Kioni has plenty of tavernas and bakeries to try, which we found all to be incredible. The real highlight here though was being able to shuttle between a picture-perfect Ionian town and our boat where we could relax and swim. One other tip is to buy inflatables for swim time when set up with long lines ashore. The lines almost define a swimming pool area and keep people from drifting too far from the boat!
Day 4 (Tuesday): Kioni to Fiskardo
Kioni to Fiskardo: 9.3nm
Strategy
By our fourth day we were in a groove of waking up, sailing, catch a bit of the afternoon breeze and then making sure to get into a harbor by around 3pm. Usually by then most of the dock space is taken, but there are often a few good long lines ashore locations. We found this to be the same at Fiskardo, although caution that there are fewer ideal spots than in other marinas.
Note that we also chose Fiskardo at this stage of the trip since there was a good dive shop and our next leg of the trip was to stop at Porto Katsiki beach.
Where We Docked / Moored / Anchored
We really liked the long lines ashore set up we had in Kioni and replicated it in Fiskardo. We noticed as we entered Fiskardo marina, that many of the boats were lined up on the right side of the harbor, but the rocky outcropping on the left side wasn't too busy. We had winds coming out of the SSW, which that spot was protected. I recommend checking the wind forecast to help determine the ideal anchoring spot here.
Onshore
Outside of our ritualistic swims and non-stop Greek food gorging, Fiskardo was where we organized scuba diving through Fiskardo Divers. The dive team was amazing, the actual diving was just decent and good to get underwater a bit.
Fiskardo Divers, fiskardodivers@yahoo.com, +30 697 020 6172
Day 5 (Wednesday): Fiskardo to Porto Katsiki then to Sivota
Fiskardo to Porto Katsiki then to Sivota: 23.1nm
Strategy
A destination that everyone had on their "must see" list was the picture-perfect beach at the base of a sheer rock cliff, known as Porto Katsiki. We wanted to time it so it wasn't overrun with others but had to be careful as the West side of Lefkada, where it is located, is more exposed to swells and weather.
Fiskardo was a perfect jumping off spot as we left in the morning and arrived at Porto Katsiki by 10am. It was very quiet, and we anchored right off the beach.
Knowing we wanted to spend several hours at Porto Katsiki, we planned for a short sail back along the Southern shore of Lefkada, tucking into Sivota for the evening.
Porto Katsiki
Where We Docked / Moored / Anchored
For Porto Katsiki we anchored near the Northern end of the beach. Very good sandy holding there and no concern of slippage, particularly as other vessels filled up the area. If you arrive later in the afternoon, don’t be afraid to get in close to other anchored vessels (but be mindful of a safe distance with swing).
Sivota is interesting as there is a lot of dock space and some new pontoons that extend out. We took our well practiced long lines ashore approach and stayed more toward the outer bay. It's less protected, but there were no major winds or weather that made it uncomfortable or dangerous. The only issue is how steep the coastline is, making it important to get close to the shore during anchoring.
Given we spent most of our day at Porto Katsiki, we anchored, had dinner at a local taverna, walked around a bit, and then played Monopoly Go! For hours into the night.
Day 6 (Thursday): Sivota to Meganisi
Sivota to Meganisi: 7.7nm
Strategy
Our last major destination before returning to Lefkas was wild Meganisi. Known for its rural atmosphere and lack of major port infrastructure, we were excited to have a peaceful afternoon and evening with long lines ashore.
However, Meganisi turned out to be one of the most hellish evenings the crew and I have experienced in a long time. The incident at hand was caused by where and how we anchored, so let's dive into that so you don't make the same mistake.
Where We Docked / Moored / Anchored
The winds were still coming from the South, so we went around to the north side of Meganisi and into one of the major sections called Balou Bay. There was a divide in the bay, and we went left as it seemed like there were several boats on the right side. We saw four boats in our bay area and what looked like a good spot to do long lines ashore, somewhat near the central peninsula that divided the bay (see picture of our location).
We noticed it was quite deep in the center channel, but still thought we could get the anchor set and long lines ashore. For the most part this worked well and for hours we were swimming, drinking, and had even ordered food delivery!
If there are four or more boats deep in Balou Bay, avoid anchoring on the outer edge.
We were fine most of the afternoon and then into the evening as the sun went down, we noticed a significant wind shift. Instead of Southern winds we were getting directly hit by Northwestern winds that channeled right through the bay's opening. With our long lines ashore we were perpendicular to the wind, and I could feel the pressure on the hull given the significant freeboard of a large catamaran.
We noticed the four monohulls ahead of us re-anchored, removing their shorelines, to face the wind. The issue we had with that was we were at the edge of a peninsula and with those four boats ahead of us, didn't have any room or shallow enough area to anchor that way.
We thought we would hold, but the winds picked up and forced us to drag anchor. Quickly manning the helm, I had the crew get our flood light out as it was pitch black. As we tried to anchor again, we put our all our scope but were dropping anchor in probably 50 to 60 feet of water with steep rocky cliffs that led to shore. We had periodic slippage but managed to get a hold at one point. It was a sleepless night on deck as we got turned in circles all night and were constantly concerned about either slipping into the rocks or down toward the four other boats.
Day 7 (Friday): Meganisi back to Lefkada, with Stop at Potomaki Beach
Strategy
At dawn we jetted out of Balou Bay, never to return. I was thoroughly exhausted and needed a nap, so we returned to Potomaki Beach and anchored nearly in the same spot as last time. With the Northern winds we were firmly anchored in sand and held perfectly as I caught up on a few hours of sleep.
We lunched and swam there and then took a leisurely sail back to Marina Lefkas. The narrow channel to the marina turned into a small armada of charter boats making their return and it was a fight for space as you motored up. The real battle became the fuel station, which directed us to reverse into the pier with several boats trying to jump the line.
