Vonitsa to Preveza

Having finally got the yacht in the water on May 14th. we had arranged to meet up with some sailing friends at Vonitsa, in the Gulf of Amvrakia, some 10nm from Preveza.

The harbour itself is quite limited for space, and the closer you get to the start of the pier the shallower it becomes. I managed to moor at the end of the pier, and as it happens, our friends who just happened to be sailing behind us, having left Lefkas, rafted up alongside.

You may want to have a walk up to the castle, 2€ entry fee, and there is quite a lively restaurant trade along the quay. We spent two nights here without charge. There is water but no electricity.

Our next port of call was the town quay at Preveza. Very good holding once the anchor is bedded in. Depending on whether you want a relatively quiet night or don’t mind the music blaring out until the early hours of the morning will determine where exactly along the quay you moor up.

Fees are collected by the harbour staff and are reasonable. For my 11m yacht, I paid just over 6€ per night. Water and electricity are available by key card (extra cost) and the harbour staff will provide these.

Preveza to Sivota

The following day we left Preveza to head south, through the Lefkas swing bridge. This opens on the hour, every hour, between daylight hours.

We thought about mooring at Spartakhori, on Meganisi but decided that it would be nice to anchor for the night. We found a lovely bay to the east of Spartakhori, Ormos Kapali, with only a couple of other yachts at anchor. A nice quiet night at anchor? No chance! A yacht with 5 or 6 ‘elderly’ Canadians on board didn’t realise how loud they were talking and how much their voices carried in this narrow bay. Thankfully they left the next morning but we stayed another night.

The next stop was to be Sivota, on Lefkas. We had stayed here the previous year and wanted to return as we had come across a delightful family running the ‘Family Cafe’ on part of the quay. The meals here are always good value and portion sizes very filling.

There is no charge here for staying on the quay and if you require water and electricity these are available. Remember to make sure that you have got your anchor dug in as there is a lot of weed to get through. As space is limited on the quay there is always plenty of room to anchor in the bay (at certain times of the year – July and August, this might be misleading).

Fiskardho and Surrounds

We spent three days in Sivota before heading for Fiskardho. On arrival at Fiskardho, we found that there were no spaces left to moor along the quay. This was due to the high number of charter yachts that head in here, even early in the day. We thought about taking a long line ashore but as the wind conditions had picked up we decided to head south for one of the bays.

Two bays south of Fiskardho is another beautiful anchorage. We stayed here for four nights in calm conditions as the winds were blowing down the channel outside.

You will need to drop your anchor in 10 – 15m of water and have long lines ready, but well worth it. Water crystal clear and a nice place just to chill out. At the head of the bay, there is a very large cave that was used as a munitions store during the Second World War, well worth exploring. Remember to take a couple of torches with you.

We walked into Fiskardho on a couple of days, taking the kayak to the other side of the bay and walking around the coast road. An easy walk taking some 25 minutes.

Eufimia

Next to Eufimia. Can be a bit tricky coming into moor as the wind is generally catching the beam. However, the harbour staff are first rate at seeing you in and there are always others on their yachts to help if needed.

Prices are high compared to all the other public quays we have moored at, some 13€ per night, excluding water and electricity. Plenty of restaurants to choose from along the quay.

We only stayed at Eufimia one night, moving on to Ithaca, the island of Homer’s Odysseus.

Pera Pigadhi

Rod Heikells pilot guide is a mine of information and we found another bay to anchor in, Pera Pigadhi. On our arrival there were a couple of other yachts anchored here, so we thought, safety in numbers.

However, later in the afternoon they raised their anchors and moved on. Had we made the right decision to stay? We certainly had. It was beautiful. Waters warm and clear, albeit with the odd jellyfish here and there, but serene. Early the following morning yachts and superyachts began to arrive so it was time to move on to Kioni.

Kioni

Some 9nm north of the Pera Pigadhi is Kioni, again on Ithaca. This place is another very popular spot for all yachts, charter and private and can get overcrowded at certain times of the year.

We had already made up our mind that we would anchor in the bay and take long lines ashore. Another lovely bay, you do get a bit of swell coming in when the ferries pass (some distance) outside the bay, but this is felt more if you are moored up on the quay.

There is no charge for mooring on the quay, water is available but no electricity. You can walk up and over the mountain to Frikes, some 5km away if you are so inclined. But even if you don’t get to Frikes it is worth walking up the steps to the top to take in the glorious views of the bay of Kioni and beyond.

Kastos

The island of Kastos was next on the list, 14nm from Kioni. Another small harbour, limited in depth the further in you go, and can be difficult to find a berth if you don’t arrive early.

It is possible to moor on the other side of the harbour or anchor outside and take a tender in. Water available by machine, not sure if it worked, as didn’t see any use it, and no electricity. Bars and restaurants abound but no supermarket until June, July and August. No charge to moor on the harbour wall.

We spent two nights here before moving back to Meganisi.

Abelike Bay

Again, referring back to Rod Heikells excellent pilot guide, we were drawn to Abelike Bay.

Excellent holding in 4m of water, long lines taken ashore with sufficient places to attach them. We have found it much easier to use the kayak to carry out this operation rather than using the tender or swimming. In fact, all this season the tender has not been put in the water!

Tucked in the corner of the bay are a couple of restaurants where it is possible to moor up on their pontoon and get water and electricity. However, these are generally reserved for charter boats that call here on a regular basis.

It just so happens that Skylax called in at this bay whilst we were here and I had the opportunity to chat with the skipper and his wife. If you need to provision the boat there is a route, fairly easy, that takes you into Little Vathi where you will find supermarkets and more to boot.

Having spent three nights here we looked at heading to Tranquil Bay, Lefkas.

Vlikho Bay

On arrival, after three attempts to get the anchor in and failing, I moved further in at ended up at Vlikho Bay. Not the prettiest of places, green water rather than turquoise blue with a depth of vision less than a metre. I wasn’t going to go swimming here as last year the yacht was surrounded by jellyfish the size of dinner plates. Too risky I thought, although I did see a couple of brave souls venture in!

Back to  Abelike Bay via Nidri and Port Atheni

The following day it was back to Nidri, dropping the anchor, this time without any problems, to go ashore to do some shopping. A few hours later we were on the move again, to Port Atheni to meet up with another sailing colleague. He was moored on the quay but we had decided to remain at anchor and take the kayak across to see him.

One night here before returning to Abelike Bay for a further three nights. When you find a delightful anchorage you are always drawn back to it, even in passing.

Heading South

We had arranged to meet friends on Kefalonia so we decided that we would call in at Kioni, and use the quay if possible, then move down to Poros before heading around the south of Kefalonia to Argostoli.

Poros

Poros is a busy place with ferries coming and going for much of the day. Surprisingly, they did not affect the stability of the yacht as they came into anchor. The first time we arrived in Poros the whole section of the west quay was full and yachts were moored on the north wall, having taken shelter from the winds that had built up during the day.

Both water and electricity are available and mooring costs were about 10€ per night, but discounted if you stayed subsequent nights, not necessarily consecutive, as we found out when we returned some several days later.

Argostoli and Lixouri

Argostoli, and Lixouri, on Kefalonia, are well worth visiting. Usually out of the reach of charter yachts, I have always found somewhere to moor on the harbour wall.

Mooring charges are the same as Poros but you don’t get the same discount for additional days. If you walk along the harbour quay towards the fishing boats you are more than likely to see turtles swimming around.

Head over the street from where you are moored and you come across a lovely plaza a street or two further back. Plenty of restaurants and shops to occupy your time and money if so required.

We stayed in Argostoli for three nights but have previously crossed the bay to Lixouri and moored alongside the town quay free, and have anchored up in the bay.

Argostoli to Preveza

We left Argostoli on the 14th of June and returned to Preveza, calling in at Poros, Kioni, Abelike Bay, and once through the swing bridge at Lefkas, into the Gulf of Amvrakia to Vonitsa.

This time, instead of going to the town quay we called into the bay just to the east of it. Two nights here. Again, not the clearest of waters but adequately safe to moor in despite there being a bit of a chop on the water.

It was time to head back to Preveza as Helen was catching a flight back to the UK in a couple of days time and I would be heading west for Gibraltar.

Paul Chopin

SY Corryvreckan