Practical Boat Owner — January 2018

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Georgina and Tim

Moon are journeying

around the Greek

islands in Fandancer,

their renovated

Northstar 40 ketch,

built in 1973.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Seeking peace and quiet

in the Ionian summer

The home of the flotilla holiday may sound an unlikely

place to find a quiet anchorage – but they exist if you

know where to look, says Georgina Moon

C

ruisers often say that Ionian
sailing at the height of summer
is too crowded, with no spaces
left in harbour if you get there after
midday, anchorages full of yachts and
nowhere to drop your hook. Although
the Ionian islands are undoubtedly
more busy over these months, it is still
possible to find quiet places, especially
if you are prepared to be adventurous.
This year we tried to find some harbours
and anchorages that were new to us.
Some harbours on charts and in pilot
books may at first appear to be unsuitable,
usually due to the depth of water, but it is

always worth a look. One tiny harbour we

sailed to, which will only hold seven or

eight yachts, is Episcopi, on the northern

coast of Kalamos. As our yacht Fandancer

has a shallow draught of 1.4m, we had no

problems mooring, but boats with more

than 1.8m draught should take care.

Most yachts sail to the larger and busier

harbour at Kalamos town on the east

coast, where there are several tavernas

and shops. However, the harbour does

get very crowded during the summer, so if

you yearn for a quieter life, try Episcopi,

which is charming but has few facilities.

There is a seasonal cafe at the top of the

harbour that served some delicious local

dishes and while sitting there we thought

that the views over to the mainland at

sunset were some of the most beautiful

we have experienced since we have been

sailing in Greece.

After leaving Episcopi we had a good

sail in light winds around to the south-east

end of Kalamos. We headed for the large

bay at Port Leone, where there are two

derelict mills standing conspicuously on

the southern headland. We expected it to

be crowded but we were the only yacht

there when we arrived. There is a yellow

church that is well kempt, an indication of

regular use, and served by two wooden

piers for members of the congregation

arriving by boat. The rest of the buildings

and olive press have stood derelict since

the earthquake of 1953. There used to be

a seasonal taverna here but no more, so,

apart from the cicadas and a few goats, it

is a very quiet place indeed. We moored

stern-to on the end of one of the piers and

saw several bright red starfish creeping

along the rocks, as well as many other

species and sizes of fish. More yachts did

arrive but they did not disturb our peace.

Calm and quiet

West of Kalamos is Meganisi island, with

numerous pretty bays. For those who

prefer quayside facilities, cruisers will be

attracted to the main town of Vathi, which

has a new marina. Similarly, the pontoons

at Port Spilia, which is the harbour and

ferry port for the hillside town of

Spartachori, also attract many charter

yachts and flotillas. If you want to avoid

the hustle and bustle of these locations

there are plenty of places to find on the

coast of Meganisi, where you can anchor

in the clear turquoise water.

This year we chose Elia bay, directly

west of Kalamos and much quieter than

the larger bays of Abelike or Port Athene

nearby. We were the only boat anchored

The crescent-shaped

Valtos beach, near Parga