Ionian Sea, The Best Bits ?

[Fascadale]

We are going off for our first charter in the Ionian: two weeks out of Gouvia in early July

I have the Heikell book and it all looks very good.

Any suggestions for an itinerary?

Mrs Fascadale and Miss Fascadale are talking about lunch stops with good swimming, about shortish days but they are willing to spend a few nights at anchor. They also want to go to "pretty" ports.

Any recommendations for the five must see "pretty ports" and the five must see anchorages?

 

[gasdave]

Parga on the mainland is a pretty port with a lovely beach and a very sheltered little harbour to the west end of the bay. A local water taxi will call and take you across the bay to town, set on a steep hillside with lots of narrow streets and interesting shops/restaurants. You can walk round the beach to the town but in the July heat we chose the water taxi service there, then walked back in the "cool" of the late evening.

There is also some nice sailing in the Ambracian Gulf. Vonitsa is nice. Lots of private little bays for anchoring and swimming stops.

 

[Tranona]

Agni Bay an Ay Stephanos in N Corfu. Mourtos/Sivota on the mainland, Petriti on Corfu, Lakka and Gaios on Paxos, Lunch stop on Anti Paxos, Parga, Preveza and the Inland Sea. Through the canal to Levkas and points south.

Go on the Sailing Holidays website and look at their flotilla routes to give you an idea of the popular places (which you might want to avoid on flotilla day). Use your Heikell to find the smaller out of way anchorages. There is so much to see and so many anchorages that you will have no trouble in filling your 2 weeks.

If you do go south through the canal, make sure you allow plenty of time to get back as you are going against the prevailing wind. Sensible to do it in 2 hops, motoring in the morning and stopping at Paxos or Mourtos.

 

[vyv_cox]

The west coast of Corfu is nice, very rarely visited but maybe a little too much in a one week cruise. Tranona's suggestions pretty good for a short itinerary.

 

[Skipper_Christoph]

Did the same trip twice.
Once out of Gouvia, the other time out of Preveza.

Very nice ports:
- North of the Levkas-Canal
- Lakka, Paxos (nice village, quite a lot of tourism, beautiful anchorage, good holding on sand)
- Gaios, Paxos
- South of Levkas-Canal
- Nikiana, Levkas (little port with good restaurant)
- Vathi, Meganisi

My favorite anchorages: The bights on Meganisi, east of Vathi

Wish you a very pleasant stay.