6-day Sailing Itinerary from Preveza
Preveza is based in the middle of the Ionian islands, which means that there are two options when you’re sailing out of it: you can either head North to Corfu, Paxos and Antipaxos, or head South past Lefkas to visit Kefalonia and Meganissi. For this itinerary, we’re heading South, principally because Kefalonia is the most beautiful island in Greece, so if you have the chance, you should go and see it for yourself! (But if you want to read about the places in the North Ionian area, check out our Corfu guide.)
Whilst you charter a yacht for the week, this is a six-day itinerary because once you’ve sorted yourselves out, got the shopping, etc… often you won’t have time to do any meaningful sailing on the day you arrive at the marina. And you’ll need to finish back in Preveza on the Friday night so that they can inspect the boat ahead of your formal check-out on the Saturday morning.
This itinerary is 122 nM, which should mean you’ll be sailing for around 4-5 hours a day (at an average speed of 5-6 knots), leaving plenty of time to explore the start or end points, or even just dropping the anchor in any old bay you’re heading past.
Day 1. Preveza to Kalamos – 29 nM 
It’s the start of another fine week. The weather is looking good and sunny, and the prevailing wind is a reasonably strong Northerly wind, which will speed us on our way down to Kefalonia. After briefing the crew, you can release the lines and we'll be ready to gently ease of the marina, past Preveza old town, and down to the Lefkas canal, which links the North and South Ionian islands.
You;ll most likely be part of a stream of charter boats as you follow the channel south, passing the busy tourist resorts for land-folk of Nikiana and Nydri before we get to break slightly away from the beaten track by bearing South-East above and round Meganissi island to head to Kalamos town on the south side of the island of Kalamos.
It’s only a small town, with a population of about 500 people, and they only got running water and electricity as late as 1996, but Kalamos used to house an important Roman fort (for controlling piracy in the Mediterranean) in ancient times, and there was a time when as many as twenty thousand women and children are estimated to have sought refuge here during the Greek revolution in 1821. The island was also once part of the British empire! Not that you can see much of this heritage, beyond a scattering of old ruins. Now it's a quiet village with beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters, and a tranquil and relaxing place to bob about in.
Day 2. Kalamos to Vathi (Ithaki) – 20 nM 
From Kalamos, you’ll need to bear South-west past the island of Atokos and onwards to the Vathi on the isle of Ithaki. In the prevailing wind, it’s likely you’ll need a broad reach to run with the wind, but it is pretty much one straight line all the way. If you have the time, there is a quiet bay on the South side of Atokos which is well worth visiting, and would make an excellent place to stop for lunch.
Vathi is capital of Ithaki and is very well protected by a natural channel that you have to traverse down to meet the town. Watch out for old cannons from the Venetian empire as you go down it – they are still in situ and threaten all who arrive by boat, but thankfully they’ve been dormant for centuries now. You certainly wouldn’t fancy your chances if they were still active! The sail into the port is the best part of Vathi, because the sheer grandeur and wonder of the town takes you by surprise: there are buildings lining the hillside around the bay, making the marina seem like the centre of a giant amphitheatre. Truly marvellous.
Ithaki (or, in English, Ithaca) is probably somewhere you have heard of. It featured in Homers classic poem the Odyssey, large parts of which - the Cyclops, sirens, the battle of Troy, Achilles heel, for instance – have made it into popular culture and they even hit the cinemas every few years. Well, this is where the hero, Odysseus, lived and reigned as King. The local tourist board even claimed to have located a grand palace from 800 BC on the island, so there’s now some thought that Odysseus was actually a real person, and not just a fictional character.
Day 3. Vathi to Sami (Kefalonia) – 17 nM 
From an island made famous by literature from 800 BC, to an island made famous by something a lot more recent. Our next port of call is Sami, a town on the island of Kefalonia (or Cephalonia in English), which was the setting for the classic novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – a romantic tale by Louis de Berniere which saw a world war two soldier based on Kefalonia falling in love with a local girl (and the island, and Greek way of life).
Looking at the scenery, it’s easy to see why some people say this is the most beautiful island in Greece. Indeed, the scenery is so remarkable that after visiting the island for a field trip, the Director of the film version of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin insisted that they had to film it here, because it would be impossible to replicate, even with CGI. If you watch the film, which stars Nick Cage, then you’ll almost certainly spot parts of the town of Sami and the nearby beaches, because this is where they did the bulk of the filming.
In terms of the sailing, after the single tack straight line of yesterday, today you’ll travel in every single direction possible, so you’ll need to keep on your toes. It’s quite simple to navigate though – just keep the coast of Ithaki on your starboard side after leaving Vathi, and then hop over to the next island when you see it. There’s a decent beach in the bay immediately before you arrive at Sami (Antisamos beach) which is worth nosing in to if you have the time to spare – it’s supposed to be one of the top ten beaches in the whole of Greece.
Sami is a small market town by day, but has a holiday buzz and an almost lively atmosphere after night falls. There’s a small number of shops and tavernas, but plenty of character.
Day 4. Sami to Sivota (Lefkas Island) – 23 nM 
Sami is the furthest we travel on this itinerary, and now we’ll turning back towards Lefkas and sailing North. You’ll be beating up the prevailing wind as you move up the channel between Ithaki an Kefalonia, passing Fiskardo at the top of Kefalonia. Fiskardo, whilst still being a fishing village, has more shops than both our start-point Sami, and the end-point of Sivota, so if you have the time, it could be worth getting some provisions in here. Either way, it’s worth nosing into the bay here to see what Fiskardo is all about, as it’s (another) very pretty little village.
From Fiskardo, you bear slightly North-Easterly, ideally close-hauled so that you can make good speed across to the island of Lefkas. Sivota is at the end of one of the bays on your port side, and is very well sheltered from the prevailing winds of the season.
Sivota is an exclusive tourist resort, with a number of all-inclusive hotel resorts nearby. The town is quiet during the day (whilst the sailors are out at sea, and the landlubbers are sat by their pools), but the bars and tavernas liven up at night time. You’ll see for yourself what a beautiful place Sivota is, and it’s hard to put into words, or to pick out this particular part of the Ionian when the whole area is delightful, but Sivota has sandy beaches, white limestone cliffs, clear turquoise seas, green pine forests and a scattering of white buildings, and it certainly deserves its place on all the postcards. It’s a blissful place to spend the night.
Day 5. Sivota to Vathy (Meganissi) – 15 nM 
There’s not many nautical miles between Sivota and Meganissi, but there’s plenty of options for whiling away the hours in luxury, and it’s quality sailing. Once you’re bored of Sivota (if that’s possible), you can visit the cave of Papanikolis, then sail around the south side of Meganissi where you’ll find lots of beautiful and secluded beaches. You can even set people on land and they will probably be able to walk to Vathy town quicker over land than you’ll be able to sail around the rest of the island.
Papanikolis cave is notable because it’s absolutely massive. At 120m in length, it’s the second longest in Europe, and is even long enough to feature a turn in it, offering even more chance of concealing yourself. Back in the day, boats used to hide in the cave to escape from pirates (that was before charts, let alone the internet, so they’d be unlikely to know about the cave!), and, most recently, it was used as a hiding place for the Greek Papanikolis submarine in world war two.
Following the coast-line round, you’ll arrive at the pretty little fishing village of Vathy, which is fast becoming a popular tourist resort for its serene and beautiful beaches. There’s a few tavernas splayed alongside the waterfront here, which are perfect to relax in and watch the water, or, if you want more choice, the next nearest town is only a kilometre or so away by foot.
Day 6. Vathy to Preveza – 18 nM 
From Meganissi, Preveza is pretty much due North, into the wind, up the Lefkas channel and through the Lefkas canal. It’s only 18 nM, so it might only take you a few hours of sailing – which means you might have time to explore Meganissi on foot (there’s a few beaches within a short walking distance), or to stop off somewhere on the way – both Nikiana and Nydri are popular with tourists and will appear on your port side as you make your way North. You could also stop at Lefkas and visit the old town there, but there might be a lot of charter traffic there.
After arriving in Preveza, you should return the boat to the area of the marina where you found it and follow instruction about refuelling – usually there is a mini-tanker which comes around which will refill your tank, but check with our charter partner as to how it works for them. Once you’re moored up then you’ve completed the sailing for the week, and hopefully you’ve gotten the boat and your crew around safely.
Someone will likely come and inspect the boat, but you’re staying on the boat for one more night. If you haven’t yet seen Preveza old town, then now is a good time to check it out. There’s narrow streets and seafront bars, but the view is never quite as good from the land as it is from the water.
Hopefully you will’ve enjoyed your time sailing, and right now you’ll have a big smile on your face, a bit of a tan, stronger friendships with all your crewmates, and a whole headful of memories of an epic voyage. And then we’re done. Have a safe flight home, and come and visit us to start planning your next great adventure!
Preveza, like the whole of the Ionian, has such beautiful weather that tourists flock to the area. The best time to go is between May and October, when temperatures are almost always over twenty degrees Celsius, and you can relax in the warmth of the sun - though be warned that there can be some days in August where it can feel sweltering, even with an ice-cream!
