Northern Ionian

Corfu (Kérkira) to Zákinthos

From the heel of Italy most yachts cross the Otranto Strait to Corfu only 70 miles away. Corfu is the first of the Heptanesoi, the seven islands of the Ionian. Proceeding south from Corfu you come to the islands of Paxoi and Andipaxoi, Levkas, Ithaca, Cephalonia and Zákinthos, and the island of Kithera (now administered separately). Along the eastern shores of the Ionian are Albania, mainland Greece and the Peloponnisos. Some yachts cross direct from Sicily or Malta to Preveza on the mainland, Levkas, Argostoli on Cephalonia or to Zákinthos.

The Ionian derives its name from the goddess Ιο. Ιο was a priestess of Hera and for a short time a mistress to Zeus. Inevitably there was conflict when Hera discovered Zeus was deceiving her and, fearing what Hera in her wrath might do, he changed Ιο into a white cow. Not to be outdone, Hera sent a gadfly to torment the unfortunate Ιο, who plunged into the sea to rid herself of the stinging pest - hence the Ionian Sea.

Historically the importance of the Ionian was as a stepping-stone route from the Aegean to Italy and Sicily. Corfu has always been identified as the Homeric island home of the Phaeacians, those mythical ancient sailors who ferried Odysseus home to Ithaca. On a more substantive level Corfu was the ancient Corcyra, a colony of Corinth and the stepping-stone to another important Corinthian colony - Siracusa in Sicily.

The seven islands were not united as a historical group until the 14th century when the islands appealed to Venice for protection from their tyrannical Norman and Genoese overlords. Venice seized the chance to consolidate her trade route from Venice around the Peloponnisos to the Aegean and thus the seven islands became one political unit. It was this long occupation by the Venetians that gave the Ionian its Italianate qualities. Many of the old gnarled olive trees seen today were planted during the Venetian occupation so the local population could pay its taxes in olive oil. Later the French and English added their own flavour to the islands until, in 1864, the seven islands reverted to Greece.

To those of you who visualize a Greece of sun­baked rock dotted with dazzling whitewashed houses, the Ionian comes as a gentle surprise. This is not the Greece of the popular travel brochure but a shaded green country, sheltering red-tiled Latin houses - an eccentric collection of Italian and French architecture and English tastes (in Corfu the locals play cricket and you can buy currant buns and ginger beer) welded together into a whole that is indubitably Greek. Evergreen cypress, pine, elm, green fields, flowers even in the height of summer, and everywhere the dull dark sheen of the olive, characterise the lower land, while higher up the slopes are covered in pine and the tenacious Mediterranean maquis. If the wind is in the right direction you can smell the pungent herby aroma a mile out to sea.

The green luxuriance of the islands is in direct contrast to the high eroded mountains of Albania and mainland Greece that form the eastern boundary to the Ionian. Here there is a barren backdrop to the islands that gives a taste of the topography to come. In between there are protected waters where the wind seldom blows too strongly, and a multitude of little anchorages accessible only by yacht. From the inland sea bordered by Levkas, Ithaca and Cephalonia you leave the rolling, almost English, landscape of Zákinthos to confront the rocky slopes of the Peloponnisos.

Weather patterns in the North Ionian

Winds are consistent in the summer. From June to the end of September the normal wind in the northern Ionian is from the NW to WNW. Generally it arrives around noon, blows between Force 2 and 5 and dies at sunset. In the morning there may be a light Ε or SE wind, but it rarely reaches Force 1-2. After October until April/May winds can be from the Ν or S, though gales tend to be more from the S-SE.

In July and August a wind known as the maistro may blow from the N-NW with a little more strength than the normal NW wind. Care needs to be taken at this time of gusts off the lee side of high islands, especially in the inland sea, where there can be strong gusts off Levkas, Ithaca, Cephalonia and Zákinthos. Usually when the wind is going to be strong, dense white cigar-shaped clouds hug the tops of the mountains on the islands. In the evening there may be a katabatic wind off the high mainland mountains for several hours. It generally blows from a NE direction and can get up to Force 5-6.

In summer the climate in the northern Ionian is sunny with little rain. The temperature can reach 32°C plus in July and August. In the spring and autumn there are often thunderstorms and associated squalls but these seldom last for very long. In the winter Corfu has one of the highest rainfalls in Greece. As you proceed further south and east the rainfall decreases dramatically. So too does the prolific greenery that goes with a high winter rainfall.

Routes

The geography determines that routes are generally northerly or southerly ones. The prevailing NW winds in the summer mean that going S is pretty much a matter of plotting which harbours and anchorages on the islands and mainland you want to visit and then coasting down to them. You may encounter a few problems coming into bays or entrances which face the prevailing wind such as Palaiokastrita, the northern entrance to the Levkas Canal or the approaches to Argostoli, but generally you will have few problems getting to where you are going.

In places the prevailing NW wind tends to curve around the top and bottom of the high islands and sometimes it is accelerated when it is channelled or where it gusts down valleys. Areas where the wind tends to blow around the land are on the northern side of Corfu where it blows from the WNW and then is channelled down the North Corfu Channel, around the southern end of Corfu and Paxos, around the southern end of Levkas where it blows from the WNW and then the W closer to the Meganisi Channel, down the Ithaca Channel between Cephalonia and Ithaca, around the southern end of Cephalonia, and around the northern and southern sides of Zákinthos. Gusts will be experienced on the lee sides of some islands, especially Paxos and Antipaxos, the Ε and S sides of Levkas, the Ε side of Ithaca especially in Kólpos Aetou, around Kólpos Argostoliou, and on the Ε side of Zákinthos.

Going Ν in the summer is usually a matter of bashing up against the prevailing NW wind. If you want to make up ground then the NW wind will not normally get up until around midday, so if you leave early in the morning you can generally motor to destinations in the N. The trip from Levkas going Ν can often be a bit of a bash and many yachts choose to leave Levkas early and motor at least part of the way to Paxos or Párga.

In the winter there are more southerlies and route planning becomes more of a lottery. Really the only thing you can do here is get a forecast and make your plans from there. Remember that many of the harbours which are safe in the prevailing summer northerlies can be less comfortable and even untenable in strong southerlies.

From the Ionian you can reach the Aegean by one of two routes: around the capes of the Peloponnisos following the old trade route, or through the Gulf of Patras and the Gulf of Corinth to the Corinth Canal that severs mainland Greece from the Peloponnisos.

Data

PORTS OF ENTRY

Kérkira (Corfu)
Igoumenitsa
Préveza
Gaios (Paxos)
Levkas
Vathi (Ithaca)
Argostoli
Sami
Zákinthos

PROHIBITED AREAS

The NE coast of Corfu and mainland coast 1M offshore from the Albanian border to Nisis Prasoúdhi. Limin Vathi immediately Ν of Préveza. Theoretically permission must be obtained from the navy before entering the prohibited areas around Corfu and the adjacent («Inland coast, but in practice this not normally necessary and no problems have arisen from not obtaining formal permission. Likewise Vathi near Préveza is used by yachts without permission. However it should be remembered that these areas are still classified as prohibited areas on the latest Greek charts.

Note

In the past there have been a number of incidents of piracy off the Albanian coast, the nearby Greek mainland coast and in Corfu. Albania now appears more settled and recent reports are that there is less anarchy ashore. When approaching the North Corfu Channel keep as close as practicable to the Greek coast. At present there is a strong Greek naval presence and this should ensure the safety of craft in the area. However it would pay to keep an eye on developments and act accordingly.

One thing that is for sure is that predicting the political path of a newly emerging country such as Albania is next to impossible. After the demise of communism in Albania it was thought the country would soon open up to yachts and tourism to help out the ailing economy. How wrong we were.

MAJOR LIGHTS

Nisis Othoni NE Point (Ákra Kastri) FI.10s21M
Nisis Othoni SW Point FI(2)6s6M
Nisis Erikoussa Ákra Potamopoulo FI(3)15s6M
Kérkira (Corfu)
Ákra Aikaterini FI.10s6M
Ákra Sidhero (Citadel/Corfu town) FI(2)6s13M
Ákra Levkimmis FI.6s7M
Vrákhoi Lagoúdhia FI(3)14s7M
Nisis Prasoúdhi (Igoumenitsa) FI(2)9s8M
Nisis Sivota FI(3)20s12M
Nisos Paxoi
Lákka FI(3)24s20M
Nisis Panayia FI.WR.5s10/8M
Nisos Andipaxoi FI.WR.6s12/9M
Ákra Mitikas (Préveza) FI.Vffl.3s7/5M
Nisos Levkas
Fort Santa Maura (Levkas Canal Ν Entrance) FI(2)WR.12s8/5M
Nisidha Sésoula FI.4-5s8M
Ákra Dhoukaton FI.10s24M
Nisos Kefallinia (Cephalonia)
Ákra Yero-Gombos LFI(2)15s24M
Nisis Vardhiánoi FI.WR.7-5s6/4M
Nisis Kalóyeros FI.4s8M
Nisis Pondikos FI.SsSM
Ákra Katelios FI(2)WR.15s11/8M
Ákra Kapri FI(3)WR.9s6/4M
Ákra Fiskárdho FI.3s7M
Ithaca (Ithaki)
Ákra Áy Nikoláou FI(3)15s7M
Ákra Áy loánnis FI.IoslOM
Ákra Pisaitos FI.5s6M
ÁkraOxiá FI(2)15s17M
Zákinthos (Zante)
Ákra Skinári FI.5s20M
Nisidhia Áy Nikolaos FI.2s7M
Ákra Krionéri FI(2)16s6M
Ákra Keri F 1.10s 17 M