The Ionian area of Greece is an old friend of mine as I spent a season here as a flotilla Skipper a few years ago. It is a great area as it is completely enclosed by the islands so the water is always very flat and the winds are generally light, usually enough to sail in but not enough to get the adrenalin going.

After a day spent recovering from the delivery, getting one of fridges re-gassed and catching up with old friends in the flotilla base town of Nidri on Lefkas Island, we sailed towards the Islands of Kalamos and Kastos. It was a gentle sail in only 6-8 knots of breeze but Concerto managed a respectable 5.5knots on a close reach past the private island of Skorpios owned by the Onassis family. After passing through the narrow channel between the high mountains of the main land and Kalamos the wind died and we were left with a 3nm motor in flat calm conditions to an anchorage off a small village that had been abandoned after the 1953 earth quake that devastated most of the Ionian. The anchorage of Port Leone is one of those places that even though I’ve anchored here many times, it still impresses me. It is quite deep, 15-20 metres but the water is crystal clear and, bearing in mind this was October, it was still 24 degrees! It is hemmed in by a rocky cove with some medieval windmill remains and the little village itself is very picturesque against the rocks, blue water and olive groves.

The picture below doesn’t really do the place justice.

Port Leone

After spending a very peaceful night at anchor with only the cicadas for company we lifted anchor to head towards Ithaca where we were signing out of Greece to make our way back towards Sicily.

Approaching Atoko island with Ithaka in the background

The sea was flat calm and although there was no wind it was nice not to be in a rush and motor slowly past the Island of Otoko with its imaginatively named anchorages, “One House Bay” and “Cliff Bay” on towards Ithaca where we had entered Greece just over three months before.

Gordon