a harbour wall full of yachts including space for several super-sized yachts

Our next destination was the island of Ithaka, located south of Lefkas and east of Kefalonia just shy of 21 miles away. Since our arrival in the Inland sea this is our second time at 'running the gauntlet' between the islands of Lefkas and Meganissi. We had a destinct lack of wind but noticed that those heading towards us in the distance were sailing. The two islands clearly influence the wind around this area so nothing can be taken for granted. Our journey took us along the east coast of the island of Arkoudi on route to Ithaka. At this point the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and islands were a sight to behold - no wonder the Ionian is a popular cruising ground.

Ithaka has a special place in Greek Mythology as it's reportedly the homeland of Odysseus who took ten adventurous seafairing years to return after the Trojan war. If Homer's "Odyssey" is to be believed we have been fortunate to have followed Odysseus along many parts of his journey passing the 'sirens' near Naples and dodging 'sea monster's' and 'whirpools' in the Messina Straits. Ithaka is also referred to as a metaphor by the poet C.P. Cavafy where he compares Ithaka to Homer's "Odyssey" conveying the importance of the journey over the destination, or as he calls it, Ithaka. It's a beautiful poem - Itaka by C.P Cavafy.

Our chosen destination was the capital, Vathy. A picturesque town located on the eastern coast of the island, nestled in a natural bay and features on many of the charter and flotilla itiniaries so we were under no illusion that it could get busy.


a Greek church facing out to sea, painted in the colours of the national flag

The entrance was relatively narrow and hidden at first before it opened up to offer a hillside covered in colourful properties that swept around a natural horseshoe shaped bay where we anchored just off the one side away from all the stern-to moorings which were lying along the long harbour wall.

Ithaka along with the majority of the other Ionion islands endured a massive earthquake in 1953 which destroyed hamlets, villages and towns. What makes Vathy special is that buildings were rebuilt in the original Venetian style. A law was passed in 1978 protecting the architectural heritage of the town, mandating that style and colour of all repairs and new constructions must be preserved. It is a picturesque town that offers a charming waterfront lined with cafes, tavernas and shops.







After spending three nights we concluded that the town is totally exposed to the afternoon winds which we can now virtually set our watch by. The summer winds can be anywhere between a gentle force 3 to a force 6 breeze. Perfect sailing conditions, however if you are sat in the anchorage surrounded by the hills it can accelerate down in surprisingly fierce gusts. Fortunately the anchorage is large with gloopy mud so the anchor dug in well but we would definitely avoid Vathy if anything stronger were forecast.

The village was proper 'picture postcard' perfect. We are pleased that we visited although loud music playing into the early hours is something else... along with the wind!

Total distance this season: 659.50 nautical miles