Cruising from Lefkada - recommendations

[Rosie1963]

I am totally new to Greece but it has piqued my interest after a couple of poor summers in the UK, with the longer term view of having a boat permanently there. I would like to explore its islands and was considering sailing from Vliho, Lefkada as an initial base.

• What are the recommendations using Vliho as base on two week holiday to get a feel for the area?
• What are the must see/do islands if based in Greece for a more substantial period of time.

 

[Tranona]

Just go. You can do all the main spots in the S Ionian in 2 weeks, or you can spend a week going north towards Corfu and a week south. Suggest you buy the Heikell Ionian pilot book as it covers everything. We all have our favourite places, but there are really no bad places although there is not much on Zakinthos. Plenty of choice of lively and rustic. Avoid July and August if you can as too hot and crowded.

We had our boat in Corfu for the first 10 years of this century but still had places we did not visit, mainly because for most of the time our trips were only a week or 2 so the tendency was to stick to the known. However we did have 2 years when the boat was in Levkas. We preferred Corfu because there is more to do than sailing and often set aside a couple of days for land based activities. Flights are also much more convenient and better choice because they are scheduled rather than linked to holidays as many to Preveza.

Keeping a boat there is no longer as easy and cheap as it was then, and depending on your personal circumstances Schengen allowances can be a restriction for longer stays. Some people "dry sail" that is keep their boat ashore in a yard in Preveza or Levkas/Nidri and just have it launched when they want to use it. Another approach if you want a new boat is to buy one under a charter management deal as we did. Deals are quite flexible in terms of the amount of use you have and then taking the boat over at the end of the deal for your own use.

 

[AndrewB]

I don't think you would want to spend too long in Vliho, though its a decent place to start, and also perhaps to keep a boat permanently. There is a good yacht club with plenty of ex-pats, one or two decent eateries and the yacht yards, but not a lot else. Just up the canal is far livelier Nidri, with chandleries, supermarkets, loads of restaurants and a pretty noisy night life. You must expect to anchor off there. Beyond Nidri is the "Inland Sea", a very sheltered area behind the islands of Levkas, Kefalinia and Ithica, including smaller islands like Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos; with loads of attractive harbours and anchorages where many charterers are content to sail for a fortnight But it gets very overcrowded in summer. If you are more adventurous I would recommend cruising to the Corinth Canal for a fortnight.

If you are planning to look around for a long-term berth, Vliho has a few spaces, nearby Levkas marina is full-service but expensive. In the vicinity are a number of other harbours with pontoon moorings. As Tranona says check out Preveza with its big marina and yacht yards. Smaller possibilities include Sivota on Levkas; Vathi on Ithica; Sami on Cephalonia; Palairos on the mainland. Preveza, Levkas and Palairos are all handy for Actio airport.

Don't forget there are restrictions on bringing in a yacht from outside the EU, so preferably buy out there.

 

[Davy_S]

Sami on Kefalonia has a lot more room now, they have moved the fishing boats from in front of the restaurants, this allows yachts to moor right in front as well as along the harbour walls.

 

[Hooligan]

I am based in Lefkas and have cruised up and down the Ionian. Some of my observations. First expensive is a relative term. Boating is expensive in general in terms of certain fixed costs. Greece in my experience is cheaper than most places. Within this you need to compare cost against benefit. There are decent marinas around this area but some I would never ever leave my boat all year around even though they may be cheaper. In terms of cruising I think you can divide the area into 3. North ie Corfu. As Tranona said easier access and the best general access to repairs etc. I personally do not feel that the cruising is as varied as Central Ionian ie Lefkada and the neighbouring Islands. In this area you simply have huge choice. Disadvantage is that flights post November are non existent so you have to go via Athens. Then you have the South Ionian where Kalamata would be your base. Personally this is the best cruising ground in my view BUT I would hesitate to base myself there as the infrastructure is not as good. It is thought much wilder, more adventurous and far far less crowded. Overall you need to balance what you want to do, your need for access and of course budget. Personally I based myself in Lefkada because I felt the positives less negatives gave me the highest net score.

 

[Cariadco]

Although we are based in Corfu, which is great for choice of flights, and easy peasy to get to the Marina from the Airport, we do prefer Lefkas and the surrounding area.
We have just been down there for 2 weeks cruising and we loved it.
Everything in cheaper than Corfu, lots more choices of Harbours, safe Bays etc.
The afternoon winds are great for sailing.
We also liked Lefkas Marina.