Lakka, a picturesque anchorage

A new day, a new island and a new anchorage. This time we took advantage of a prevailing NW wind force 3-4 and sailed on a beam reach over to the islands of Paxos and Anti-Paxos that sit between Corfu and Lefkas. Our first destination was Lakka located at the north end of Paxos. According to Greek mythology, the god Poseidon made the island of Paxos by striking Corfu with his trident. This broke a piece of land off so that he and his wife Amphitrite could enjoy some quieter moments all by themselves.... not anymore!

The approach to the anchorage enticed us in as the deep blue sea gradually turned turquoise with a sandy bottom. We found a spot to drop the hook amongst several other yachts around us. The almost circular harbour sheltered the bay from the open sea and prevailing NW wind so once inside it was very calm.

In some anchorages the depth can shallow quickly to the shore whilst in others it can remain deep to the shore. It is therefore acceptable for a yacht to drop in deep water and reverse towards the shore letting more chain out as necessary before mooring stern to and taking long lines ashore to tie around rocks or even trees. This is one such anchorage. We watched with interest as this technique is new to us and noted how easy it would be to cross anchors over with the neighbours. It certainly allowed more yachts into the anchorage so we could see why it's normal practice in Greece to do this. There was also room to moor stern-to on the quay if your draft allowed (it didn't for us) and end up literally in one of the taverna's or bars at the water's edge.

We prefer to anchor with space to swing around freely if an anchorage allows. It has many benefits, the main one is that it's easy to just drop the hook. Swinging around is ultimately cooler with no land or concrete walls giving off additional heat and the odds of Mr Ratty getting on board are significantly reduced compared to mooring on a harbour wall or attaching lines to the shore -although apparently rats have been known to swim and climb chains (yikes!). Finally, despite loving thy neighbour we would rather not hear their conversations by being so close.

The afternoon was hot. Several yachts had already moored stern to and taken lines ashore so the only spaces left was to swing at anchor which started to reduce considerably by the hour. By dusk we counted 54 yachts of all sizes including catamarans so what started out as a relatively relaxed day actually turned into a 'keep watch and defend your patch' situation. This generally involves someone poised at the bow of the boat usually with a stark facial expression that speaks volumes but on occasions is sometimes ignored which subsequently leads onto a polite but direct exchange of words that they are too close. Fortunately the majority of cruisers know when they are too close anyway and do re-anchor. After all, a decent nights kip is important to us all! On this occasion the deal is to either suck it up or leave! We, like many others assessed our position in relation to those around us and chose to stay but for the first time in many years we deployed fenders around Flirtie to protect her. Admittedly the afternoon wasn't a relaxed one and this could have extended into the night if the night hadn't remained calm. Any wind could have easily turned the anchorage into a hive of activity.

We put the experience down to being in a popular place on totally the wrong day. We suspect that we had clashed with the charter boats and flotillas enjoying one last night before they headed back to base, either north to Corfu or south to Lefkas. Fast forward another 24 hours and our surroundings were transformed with decent swinging room and ample spaces. We therefore stayed another night to enjoy a far more relaxed environment.


twenty four hours later we have space!







Lakka catered for the tourist trade very well. A promenade front lined with bars, cafes and tavernas plus a maze of small alleys led to apartments to rent, small hotels, guest houses, some lovely boutique shops and even more bars and tavernas. Lakka is definitely a cruiser's hot spot even in early June but we would return - we just need to find the best day!

Total distance this season: 519.69 nautical miles