Where To Go

Your sailing can take you from Corfu in the north of the Ionian around her northern islands and down to Paxos and Antipaxos, her southern islands. You can cross to Parga on the mainland, visit the Sivota islands where the shallow waters take you from one small island to the next, and down to Agios Ioannis just below Parga, through the Lefkas canal and into the Southern Ionian and on to the more southerly islands of the Ionian sea.

The distance you cover and the choice of area is going to be very dependent on the length of your sailing holiday. Some charter companies offer a set one week or two week sail, which is often the case with cabin charter and fully crewed boats, whilst some offer a choice of route to be planned and determined at the beginning of the holiday, this often applies to the flotillas. Of course with a bareboat charter, the experienced sailor can skipper their own boat, plan their own course, according to weather conditions, the winds and the length of the holiday.

Corfu is the most important and most northerly of the Ionian Islands and is situated only 1nm off the coast of Albania and the Greek region of Epirus. Several yacht charter companies operate from here. It is the ideal starting place to sail the beautiful unspoilt North East coast with its lovely calm bays and waterside tavernas, where you can moor up and enjoy a good meal before continuing along the north coast and around Corfu￿s northern islands of Erikoussa, Othoni, both with anchorage and Mithraki. Around Corfu￿s western coastline is Cape Drastis where you can view spectacular sunsets, and the pretty bays of Paleocastritsa. This northern and west area is probably more suited to the experienced yachtsman or those wanting to gain experience, as the islands lie further apart and the sea is more open creating less gentle conditions.

Leaving Corfu for the south takes you down to the small island of Paxos with a very calm tranquil harbour and crystal clear blue waters and the tiny islet of Antipaxos. Across on the mainland is the Sivota Islands lying very close together thus making for very calm sailing and good overnight anchorage, Parga a very pretty little mainland village and a little further on Agios Ioannis. From here sailing south brings you to Lefkas and into the Southern Ionian.

If the Southern Ionian Islands are your choice of sailing area, then you would most likely begin your holiday from Lefkas served by Preveza airport, you can of course sail north from here, but it is the ideal starting point for the southern islands.

The Lefkas canal enables sailors to pass along the east side of the island. This 'inland sea' is totally protected from the open sea and has 90% of the good anchorages. Off the south east coast of Lefkas is the beautiful unspoilt island of Meganisi, with sandy beaches and famous sea-caves and therefore an exquisite sailing and yacht area. The southern area is very sheltered and you are never far from a delightful anchorage or taverna. From Meganisi the area includes the islands of Skorpios, Kalamos, Arkudi, Atokos, Dragoneras Cephalonia, Ithaca, Echinadis, and the mainland harbours of Palaros, Zaverda, Myticas and Astakos. The most southerly Ionian Island is Zakynthos which lies off the west coast of the Peloponese, with its beautiful scenery and excellent bathing beaches; Zakynthos is very popular with yacht charters and tourists in general.