In February, we were thrilled to welcome Callum to our team. Shortly after, he and Ivan embarked on an unforgettable journey, joining the One Week Ionian Delivery Flotilla from Corfu to Sivota. They spent a week basking in the sun, getting good use of the sailis on the Beneteau 343, and creating lasting memories. Now, we are excited to share a summary of the adventure from Callum’s perspective:
Day 1 (Sunday Arrival Day, Corfu)
After a smooth journey, we reached the marina where we were greeted by our friendly Greek team. We dropped our bags off on our home for the week (Kestrini), and Ivan showed me around Corfu, taking me to his favourite gyros restaurant and tavernas. We also got to spend time with the different lead crews, who were all very excited for the season ahead. We then headed back to the boat for an early night, eagerly waiting to get out on the water.
Day 2 (Monday Corfu to Sivota Mourtos)
With very light wind, we motored our way down to the Sivota Mourtos pontoon where the flotilla was moored for the night. On our trip, we encountered a huge pod of friendly dolphins playing at the bow of the boat, which really kicked us into the holiday spirit. We arrived and joined the punch party organized by the lead crew to meet everyone on the flotilla.
Day 3 (Tuesday, Sivota Mourtos to Lakka)
We made our way from Sivota Mourtos to Lakka on another perfectly sunny day, with a stop at Emerald Bay for lunch and a swim. This was my favorite day of our week in the Ionian. This anchorage has amazingly blue water, and we paddled through it to take a little break from the sun in a cave. From Anti Paxos, we headed north to Lakka, where we had dinner at Nionios taverna. It was an unforgettable experience, with Giannis, the owner, explaining all the dishes to us.
Day 4 (Wednesday, Lakka to Meganissi)
We set sail at about 8 am, aiming to reach the Lefkas bridge by 2 o'clock. Fortunately, we made it just in time and joined the rest of the flotilla to make one long line of Sailing Holidays boats. It was great to see everyone dressing up to go through the bridge. Once through, the wind picked up, and we managed to get some sailing in before being welcomed into Little Vathy. Our evening included a group meal at Karnagio, where we had great chats about the long day on the water.
Day 5 (Thursday, Meganissi to Fiskardo)
Our next destination was Fiskardo on Kefalonia. Strong winds along the way brought lots of excitement and got our hearts racing. It was a fun day of sailing into Fiskardo which would lead to an early night, but not before a walk around to Foki bay for some cliff jumping into emerald water off the cave.
Day 6 (Friday, Fiskardo to Kastos)
Waking up feeling well-rested and ready for the day ahead, we made our way to Kastos, where we long-lined for the evening. This was our best day of sailing, with steady wind on our beam making our trip quicker than expected. We didn’t need the engine at all. We spent the day on the boat paddleboarding and reading before taking a walk up to the lighthouse cocktail bar to enjoy the breathtaking view. We then returned to the harbour for a seafood dinner at Belos.
Day 7 (Saturday, Kastos to Sivota)
The weather was not in our favour for the last day, with wind and rain against us, so we motored our way to Sivota, our final stop of the week. After giving the boat a wash-down, we headed to Family Café for lunch. For our last evening, we had a group meal at taverna Spiridoula. It was great to chat with everyone and hear about the highlights of the week. After dinner, we headed to the famous Pirates bar to celebrate the week and spend time with the Greek team before spending our last night on Kestrini.
Writing this blog has given me time to reflect on our experience and truly appreciate the beauty of the Ionian Islands and Greece. I am looking forward to returning for another week soon and can't wait to explore more of the picturesque bays and islands. A big thank you to everyone at Sailing Holidays, especially the Greek team, for an amazing week of sailing.
