Lefkas

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Lefkas/wiki/Lefkas

Lefkas There are Port(s) of Entry here 38°42.013'N, 020°38.532'E38.70021;20.6422 destination

lat=38.70021 | lon=20.6422 | zoom=10 | y

Lefkas from Space

An online cruising guide for yachts sailing to the island of Lefkas.Lefkas (Λευκάς) or Leukas or Lefkada (Λευκάδα) or Leukada lies off the mainland coast of Greece seven miles SW of the harbour of Preveza at the entrance to the Ambrakikos Gulf. The second largest of the Greek Ionian islands after Kefalonia, Lefkas is, however, not really an island. It was originally connected to the mainland via a shallow isthmus, but the Corinthians around 600 BC constructed a canal which has ever since divided Lefkas from the Greek mainland. It is now separated by a shallow lagoon and salt marshes varying in width between 600 m and 5 km (2.6 nM).

The island is hilly with numerous white cliffs which give it its name: white one. The tallest point of the island is Mount Stavrotas at 1158 m and its total land area is 355.936 km². Of the population of some 22,000, most live in the island capital of Lefkas Town, which has just under 7,000 inhabitants, or the towns of Nidri and Vlikho in Vlikho Bay, Sivotas on the SE coast and Vasiliki near the promontory of Ak Dhoukato at the island’s SW tip. For cruising yachtsmen, the harbours and anchorages at or near these towns – all of them on the E or S coast - represent the island’s chief interest. While the west coast has some very attractive beaches and fishing settlements, there are no sheltered harbours or anchorages suitable for yachts. During the summer, Lefkas and especially its capital, Lefkas Town, are thronged with tourists, both land and yacht-borne, arriving from the nearby airport at Preveza or the numerous boatyards and charter bases around Preveza and the Inland Sea.

Charts

BA

189 Nisos Sapiénza to Nisos Paxoi

203 Zakinthos to Paxoi

Imray-Tetra

G11 Nísos Kérkira to Nísos Levkas

NIMA

54280 Corfu Channel to Nisis Proti

Greek

2 Ionio Pelagos

21 Ionio Sea - Northern Part Othonoi I. to Zakynthos I.

Weather

• See Ionian Sea Weather
• Also see Ionian Sea Currents & Tides

Passages

• Cruising the Greek Ionian Sea

Islands

• Modra
• Meganisi Meganisi /wiki/Meganisi |  – harbour ||  – anchorage |
• Skorpios (a private island)

Communication

• Coast Guard - VHF channel 12
• Olympia Radio - VHF channel 03

Also see World Cruiser's Nets

Navigation

Fort of Santa Maura at Lefkas Canal entrance

Most yachts approaching the island, unless doing the long sail down the W coast, will be arriving or departing via a canal.

For details of approaching the canal and navigation there see the Lefkas Canal page.

Entrance

Lefkas Town is a port of entry and you can clear there in/out of Greece.

Berthing

Ports

The main harbours on Lefkas are listed clockwise round the island from Lefkas Town.

Key to symbols: ||  – port of entry ||  – harbour ||  – marina ||  – anchorage ||

• Lefkas Town Lefkas Town/wiki/Lefkas_Town |  – port of entry ||  – harbour ||  – marina |

  Lefkas Town offers moorings bows or stern-to using the anchor on a rather busy and crowded town quay or in the 620-berth Lefkas Marina. Shelter is good except in strong E or S winds. Few boats anchor in the area north of the marina/south of the town quay. Additional mooring possible alongside the west part of the road leading to Lefkas bridge.

• Ligia Ligia /wiki/Ligia |  – harbour ||  – anchorage |

  The small harbour of Ligia has little space for yachts, who usually have to anchor off to visit the numerous tavernas. Shelter is excellent in the prevailing NW winds but less so in strong winds from other directions.

• Nikiana Nikiana /wiki/Nikiana |  – harbour ||  – anchorage |

  Nikiana’s small harbour has space for around 10-15 yachts bows or stern-to using the anchor. Shelter in the harbour is good in the prevailing winds but less so if there is anything E in the wind.

• Nidri Nidri /wiki/Nidri |  – harbour |

  Nidri lies at the entrance to the gulf of Vlikho Bay and has berths bows or stern-to using the anchor on its busy town quay or on one of a series of six private pontoons. Shelter on the quay is adequate in the prevailing N/NW winds but it becomes uncomfortable if they are very strong.

• Vlikho Vlikho /wiki/Vlikho |  – harbour |

  Vlikho lies at the SW corner of Vlikho Bay and has berths bows or stern-to using the anchor on the town quay or on one of a field of mooring buoys. All berths are administered by the Vliho Yacht Club. Shelter on the quay and jetty is adequate in the prevailing N/NW winds but can become uncomfortable if they are very strong.

• Sivotas Sivotas /wiki/Sivotas |  – harbour ||  – anchorage |

  Sivotas harbour offers a number of berthing options on its quays, bows or stern-to using the anchor, or on two private taverna pontoons with laid moorings (you need to buy a meal in exchange for the mooring). Shelter is good in the prevailing N/NW winds, although there are gusts down into the bay, but Sivota is uncomfortable and possibly dangerous in strong S/SE winds.

• Vasiliki Vasiliki /wiki/Vasiliki |  – harbour ||  – anchorage |

  The shallow harbour of Vasiliki has berths bows or stern-to using the anchor on its town quay, but has depths in the entrance of only 2.5 - 3.0 metres. Shelter in the harbour is acceptable in the prevailing NW seabreezes (although a chop is experienced), but it could possibly become untenable in very strong NW winds.

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

• Lefkas Marina
• Vlikho Yacht Club Website

Anchorages

Vlikho Bay

See separate Wiki page for Vlikho Bay.

Tranquil Bay

See Vlikho Bay.

Ormos Dessimou

Ormos Dessimou/wiki/Lefkas#Ormos_Dessimou

anchorage Ormos Dessimou [[Lefkas#Ormos Dessimou|Ormos Dessimou]] 38°40.32′N, 20°42.78′EOrmos Dessimou38.672;20.713

The bay of Ormos Dessimou is on the E coast of the island, at the root of the long peninsula that encloses the eastern side of Vlikho Bay. It offers good shelter in the prevailing NW winds, but is open S. Anchor close inshore at the NE end of the bay in 5.0 – 8.0 metres. Holding is good in sand and weed. There is a long sandy beach here but also a camper van site at the SW end of the bay, so the anchorage is not a very quiet one. Beach café and small shop ashore.

Ormos Rouda

Ormos Rouda/wiki/Lefkas#Ormos_Rouda

anchorage Ormos Rouda [[Lefkas#Ormos Rouda|Ormos Rouda]] 38°38.16′N, 20°41.82′EOrmos Rouda38.636;20.697

Ormos Rouda is a wide bay on the SE coast of the island, a mile or so N of the harbour of Sivota. It offers good shelter in the prevailing NW winds but, like Ormos Dessimou, is open S. The head of the bay is usually buoyed off for swimming in the season and it will be necessary anchor off in depths of 10.0 metres or more. Holding is good in sand and weed. There are tavernas ashore and the village of Poros is up the hill on the E side of the bay.

Amenities

Provisioning

• There is a supermarket at the marina and a megastore a few blocks back. Also see port pages.
• The local wine Santa Maura is very good
• The salami from Lefkas is famous

Eating out

See individual port pages.

Transportation

• There are charter flights to several European destinations from Preveza
• Long distance buses from Lefkas Town via Preveza to Athens
• Local buses between Lefkas Town and Vasiliki

Tourism

History

For a history of Lefkas, see History of Lefkas page.

Places to Visit

See Lefkas Town.

Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

Links

• Lefkas at the Wikipedia
• Lefkas at the Wikivoyage
• A yachtsman's video guide

References

See Ionian Sea.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

• The North Entrance to the Canal has been significantly improved since 2012 with extensive dredging. Min depth we noted was 4.5 metres and the pool in the crutch of the North West elbow now has good depths. The spit has been shortened significantly but there is now a sandy shoal requiring 30 metres clearance off the end. --Monterey June 2015

Verified by

Date of member's last visit to Lefkas and this page's details validated:

• July 1988 --Istioploos Travels with S/Y Thetis
• August 2009 --Nereus
• June 2013 --Athene of Lymington
• June 2015 -- Monterey
• June 2019 -- Bat-Yam

Contributors to this page
Names: Istioploos, Nereus, Athene of Lymington, Rodger, Wayward, Monterey