5 Days Sailing Trip from Lefkada to Kefalonia in Winter.

This chronicle is a tracking of our latest itinerary: 5 Days of Winter Sailing from Lefkada (Vliho) to Kefalonia (Argostoli). You can let yourself inspire by this little off-season trip and either travel with us through this post and what we saw or use it to plan your next trip here in Greece.

End of December, we finally move out of the zones we knew by heart. Click HERE to read the article about our very first months around Preveza, the Abracian Gulf and Lefkada.

After weeks between these familiar places, it feels really good and thrilling to point the bow somewhere new: Ithaki has been on our minds for a while and the wind is turning exactly in our favor.

28.12.25 From Vliho Bay we sail to Vathy. Distance: ~24 NM. The wind from the North is pushing us exactly where we want to go, a solid 25 knots, steady and confident. For the last few miles, we are not alone. Vittorio and Valentina aboard Sagitta are sailing the same direction and we end up arriving in Vathy together. Rather than them, the sea is quite empty, no other sailors, just one cargo and a ferry.

We arrive right on time, before the waves smashes us against the city quay. Only three boats: VAGO, Sagitta and one French sailor that is here since beginning of winter. That’s it. Later in the night the swell stops and we can sleep really well.

During this season you cannot expect Power and Water at the quay but you can stay for free and we really like it like that. Here some NAVILY reviews about this Harbour.

In summer, Vathy is known for being packed, busy, noisy, and full of charter boats. In winter, it feels like an entirely different place. Quiet. Spacious. Slow. Closed. We feel incredibly grateful to experience Ithaki this way — mostly with locals, cats, and the mountains surrounding the bay.
The harbor is well protected, easy to approach, and feels safe even in winter conditions. For off-season sailors, it’s a perfect stop: simple, calm, and welcoming without being overwhelming.

It’s time to be productive, dry the bed and do some laundry. Even though we now have Ilde — our onboard washing machine — I take the opportunity to wash all our bedsheets at the small laundry service nearby. Winter sailing teaches you to take advantage of what’s available, when it’s available.

We spend part of the morning visiting Vittorio’s boat. Looking at other boats is always inspiring — how others organize their space, solve problems, live differently in the same floating reality. These exchanges are part of what makes sailing communities so special, especially in winter, when there’s time to talk, share and learn.

Vathy is made for wandering so we walk — a lot. Along the waterfront, into hidden streets, uphill paths and quiet corners overlooking the bay. From above, the view is breathtaking: a perfectly shaped natural harbor embraced by steep green hills.

Ithaki, of course, is deeply tied to mythology. Known as the home of Odysseus (Ulysses). If you’re bored on a boat, which I doubt, or if you like classics: Read here the Odyssey by Homer

The island carries centuries of stories about journeys, returns and patience. You’ll not miss the statue of Odysseus near the harbor and Lazareto Island, a small islet at the entrance of Vathy’s bay with a layered history — from ancient times to quarantine station and prison.

You can read more about the history of Vathy and Ithaki.

We wandered past small churches, climbed narrow streets, and followed paths that didn’t seem to lead anywhere — until they did. Lemon, orange, and clementine trees were everywhere, heavy with fruit, adding color and scent to the winter landscape.
Off-season, not everything is open — but enough is. Several supermarkets were operating, making provisioning easy. Restaurants are limited, but that’s part of the charm.

We tried La Familia, one of the few places open. A bit on the expensive side, but absolutely worth it. Typical Greek dishes, generous portions, and warm hospitality — exactly what you hope for when options are few.

In winter, Ithaki isn’t about ticking boxes or chasing highlights. It’s about slowing down, walking without a plan, and letting the place reveal itself quietly.

f you’re sailing in the Ionian during winter, Ithaki is a beautiful way to remind yourself of why you chose this life. Calm anchorages, space in the harbor, meaningful encounters, and time to actually feel a place — not just pass through it.

All you really need to do here is walk, walk, and get lost. And honestly, that’s more than enough.

31.12.25 From Vathy we sail to Poros. Distance: ~20 NM. With a good north wind pushing us to Kefalonia, Poros where we spend the quietest New Year’s Eve night before continuing our trip.

We arrive at 1PM, we eat leftovers and go for a discovery walk through the ghost town and awarded beach of Poros. We buy some fresh bread, baklava and a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate of course…

Poros was really really quiet, a bit desolate and I am sure that if we came in Summer it would have given us a completely different feeling.

We celebrated with some comforting Chicken Curry and went to bed before 11PM 😀 We are so tired that the fireworks wake up for few minutes and we fall asleep again before the swell starts again and our night is… over.

01.01.26, We wake up at 7AM, we have breakfast and we leave the harbor with a choppy sea waiting for us. We surf the waves and as soon as we change course the wind starts changing in all possible directions and dropping few times but we manage: we take the main sail up and down we furl and unfurl the genoa… well, we’re busy 😀

After another 26NM a one single dolphin greets us and welcomes us few moments before entering the ghost marina of Argostoli and for now, we don’t know for how long we will stay.

02.01.26, We wake up here with these new landscapes and new colors looking forward to what’s about to happen because… WE HAVE NO IDEA 🙂

Read more about how we moved our lives to VAGO in this Blog Article. More about who we are as human beings here The Crew aboard Project-VAGO.