Drifting around the Northern Ionian Islands

After Leaving Corfu, we've spent several weeks just drifting around. We were warned that in July and particularly August, it's too hot and too crowded (particularly with Italian motor yachts).
In the event, those problems, while they exist, seemed to us to be much exaggerated. The heat is easily manageable by mostly anchoring, and falling off the back of the boat whenever we start to sweat. A boom tent is a great help - particularly a silvered one like ours which reflects most of the heat back into the sky.
Italians, and particularly those in motor yachts, are gregarious things so they tend to congregate in obvious places with lots of shops, tavernas and quay-side moorings. If you avoid those places (or get there early in the morning - around 11.00) then all you are left with is a lot of smaller yachts which are usually very pleasant.

We've been to some beautiful anchorages Erikoussa (North of Corfu)











Kalami (NE Corfu), Sivota (on the Mainland) and everywhere on Paxos / Antipaxos spring particularly to mind. Paxos is as close to Heaven on Earth that we have found so far.
The quick-fried prawns in Saiyadah are still there (although they now use much larger prawns and no longer have a half oil drum of boiling olive oil).












Mourtos harbour extension is now having water and electricity points installed - should be operational from August 2009.








Avoid the bay North of Igoumenitsa unless very tired - The holding is great and there's nobody else there. Even the ferry wash is reasonable as they go slowly in and out. BUT there is a loud heavy metal disco behind the radar structure which goes on till 0430!

Corfu was disappointing. There is very little useful infrastructure for yachts and a great deal of (sometimes offensive) tourist development. The only place in Greece where we've seen this so far. This also means that useful quiet anchorages are also few and far between as beaches are buoyed off for swimmers and the sea is churned by all manner of noisy motorised water sports. I guess we should just be grateful that it is mostly concentrated on one island - and avoid it. The best place we've found to anchor is between the entrance of NAOK and the fortress of Mandraki. It can be noisy but it's usually clean, and you can moor the dinghy and get a beer ar the yacht club.