Ian Walker’s Lefkas Sailing Itinerary
In this second part of Ian Walker’s blog about his family flotilla holiday to the Ionians, he explains what a typical day is like on a week-long charter. Read Part One of Ian Walker’s Lefkas sailing blog.
Our ideal day would typically consist of a morning swim and lazy breakfast before a relatively short sail to our next destination (2-4 hours). If it was a longer hop, we would explore somewhere for lunch on the way, but we quickly learned that it didn’t pay to arrive too late at the more popular anchorages. This schedule didn’t always fit with the wind as breezes were typically very light in the morning and stronger in the afternoon. If you were there for the sailing, this could present a dilemma in the wind we experienced that week.
With an average daytime temperature of 82°F, the month of July offers reliable winds, plenty of sunshine and fewer crowds. Winds are generally north-westerly, increasing in the afternoons to 5-20 knots (6-23 MPH). The evening brings a slight drop in wind speed and temperature. You’ll also avoid busy school holidays by choosing to go in July.
We cruised for 1 week which means 5 nights away from Lefkas where you spend the first and last nights. The Ionian is one of those great destinations, like the BVI, where your itinerary means you need not return to the same spot twice, although we did choose to return to Vassiliki twice in search of nightlife for the kids. Our basic plan was to sail around Ithaca to port overnighting in Palairos, Vassiliki, Fiskardo and Kioni.
The anchorages and views got more stunning each day.
Nightly Anchorages
Day 1/ Day 7 Lefkas Town (base
Day 2 Paleros or Palairos
Day 3 / Day 6 Vassiliki
Day 4 Fiskardo
Day 5 Kioni
Day 1 & Day 7 – Lefkas
We started our day with a passage briefing and shopping. I normally like to get off the boat and do some mini hikes, but we seemed a bit rushed for that this year. Being one of the quietest of the Ionian islands, it’s no wonder why Lefkas plays home to many stunning hiking trails. Had we not been short on time, we would’ve visited some of these popular favorites:
Melissas Gorge – For animal lovers, this hiking trail located north of Kavalos is not to be missed.
Skaron Forest – For wilderness lovers, this forested trail is a great place to reflect on the area’s natural beauty.
Dimossari Canyon – For swimming lovers, I recommend this trail that’s located outside of Nidri. Visit Rachi Waterfall and swim in the freshwater pools.
At noon we headed to Abelike inlet on Nisos Meganisi Island.
Day 2 – Palairos
Mid-afternoon we anchored to Palairos to meet up with friends and went for a traditional Greek dinner at the New Mill Taverna. We followed up our delicious dinner with drinks at Yacht Club bar on the beach.
The next day after a swim, we left Palairos at 10 a.m. and headed back to Nisos Meganisi for a raft up with 3 friends’ boats.
Day 3 – Vassiliki
We swam and played games before heading to Vassiliki in unfavorable weather. While we waited for the storm to pass, we ate lunch in a tavern in town before heading back to the boat to lie and watch the lunar eclipse at 12:30 p.m. At 1 p.m. we left Vassiliki and headed to Fiskardo on Cephalonia.
Day 4 – Fiskardo
On days four and five, it was fun to stroll and explore around the towns of Fiskardo and Kioni and the kids always seemed to find somewhere to explore by SUP, like a cave.
Having three boats in our little fleet meant that it was easy to make our own entertainment!
Fiskardo is a beautiful, popular town. It was by far the busiest mooring. We ended our day with a lovely meal and drinks at Fishbone Café.
Day 5 – Kioni
We left Fiskardo to motor slowly anticlockwise around Ithica to Kioni via a swim at Ay Andreas, a beautiful spot. Then, for lunch, we stopped at Nisos Pera Pighadi – our favorite anchorage between the island and the shore. We made it to Kioni by 4:30 p.m. but it was already very busy. We were lucky to get a spot for three boats abeam near the swimming area. For dinner, we ate in the amazing terraced restaurant – Mills on the Hill.
Day 6 – Vassiliki
On Day 6, we sailed to Vassiliki in the best wind of the trip, but upwind at 15-18 knots. You’ll notice a lot of windsurfers in this area, making it a fun option for something to do. We ate pizza then walked to Vassiliki and had drinks at Club Vass.
On the last day, we sailed from Vassiliki and motored to Papa Nicolis Cave. We moored off south of Nisos Skorpios for lunch and a final swim. Then we motored back through the Lefkas Canal before fueling up and returning to the base.
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Author Name:
Ian Walker
Contributor
Ian Pedersen
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