Sailing in the South Ionian Sea for 10 days in August 2019 was a truly unforgettable experience. The Marina in Lefkas was our starting point, a lively and charming Greek town with great tavernas. On board of S/Y Morpheus, a sportive, but spacious and well-equipped Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 54 DS sailing yacht, our first destination was the green island of Meganisi, where we anchored in one of the many stunning bays on the east side. From here we set out for a leisurely evening hike to the ruins of an abandoned lighthouse on the top of a hill next to the shore.
The next day, with good wind in our sails, we took course to the Island of Kalamos and anchored there next to the main village. Just before sunrise we hiked to the top of the hills to enjoy the magnificent view before the sun became too hot. With that early morning activity, the breakfast from the Greek village bakery tasted particularly good. Before noon we headed to the shores of the mainland next to the beach of Astakos for a refreshing Kite Session.
Ithaka was one of my highlights on this journey, I regret spending only one night anchoring next to the town of Vathy, a traditional Greek village almost hidden in a picturesque bay. While one part of our crew went on another hike up the steep slopes of the hills, the others stayed behind to explore the village and to give a good cleaning to the yacht, as we were expecting additional guests to come onboard in Zakynthos.
Zakynthos island with its magnificent coastline was the destination we headed for the next morning. For several days, we enjoyed exploring the bays and miring at the beautiful caves visible only from the water. The scenic view around the area of Porto Limnionas was my personal highlight of the trip. It’s not easily accessible from the land and the masses are drawn to the famous shipwreck beach like a magnet, so we had the pleasure to enjoy this little gem of a bay quite peacefully and almost alone. As we berthed for two days in the port of Zakynthos, we took the opportunity to rent a car and explore the inland, something I can highly recommend.
From Zakynthos we headed straight back to Lefkas town, to take advantage of the great kiting beaches in the vicinity for several days, using the yacht as our comfortable and ideally located holiday home.
The only regret I have is having left out the island of Kefalonia with its Mount Enos, the highest peak in the South Ionian, at 1.608 m. But what a good reason to come back for another sailing trip exploring more of the wonders of the Ionian Sea, this time with the beautiful Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 54 DS “Lady Stardust”, our 2020 addition to our fleet.