The departing point on South route is the main port of Lefkada and Lefkas Marina, a blue flag marina. You can also find yacht in Preveza, one hour sailing north from Lefkas, but you will have to pass thru the Lefkas channel if you want to go south.
There are many sailing yacht available in this area (approx 600) but you need to book a charter yacht very early in the year as there is pretty high demand. So if you are looking for a nice and new catamaran, try booking in November or December for the following summer.
First island from Lefkas is Meganisi. With 2 small docks (Spaciohori and Vathi) the place gets crowded in the begining and ending days of a sailing week. But no worries, there are a lot of protected natural bays to safely anchor overnight, which is also what we recommend.
In the area there are several small islands, including the famous Scorpios island, previously owned by Onassis. Around 2010 it was sold and now there is a private resort in construction. There is no access on the islands, nor it beaches. Actually it is forbidden for the time being to get close to the island and even anchor.
Kefalonia is the largest islands in the area, offering several old ports to dock. Also very crowded here so you need to be early in the port in the high season. No worries, there are spots at anchor if you can’t find a spot at the dock and if you need water, there is a truck delivering wherever you are thru a loooong hose 🙂
Ithaka is the island from the great Greek Odyssey by Homer. The island of Ulysses offers sensational anchoring spots for day stops and even for night overs. You will find here lots of white rocky beaches with almost endless turquoise waters around. It is a paradisaical view that it is totally worth the effort to come sailing in this area. You can spend here at least 2 days.
Keep in mind that if you book a boat with us you will benefit of 30 mins of free concierge and we will share with you the most hidden gems of those islands, exclusive spots to anchor and help you with choosing the ports on restaurants based on your expectations of the week.
Lefkada is a large island too and the western side is totally different from the eastern side. On the west side you will find huge cliffs with small rocks beaches at their bottom and an immense area of pristine turquoise waters. As it is open to the sea you will find big swell and waves almost all the time. The eastern and southern side is more protected and there are many bays or old harbors, used mainly to leave the yachts over the winter.
Kalamos and Kastos are the most eastern islands in the area. They are full of vegetation and provide a very good shelter in case of bad weather. There are not too many villages in the area, but you will find a couple of nice restaurants for dinner.
Atokos is a non inhabited small island that provides few very beautiful natural bays for swim stops. Even overnight is a good option as 2 bays are very well protected by the cliffs.
If you have time or like to sail longer, then a visit to Zakintos is in reach. The fabulous beach of Navagio is a must if you reach this area. Usually there is swell in this bay, but if calm, you can spend the night at anchor too. The town of Zakintos is bigger and there is also a large port here.
