Vathy

Say Ithaca and a world opens up to you: of suggestions, memories, images derived mostly (or almost exclusively) from youthful studies. Ithaca the “petrous,” Ulysses’ homeland, Homer’s Ithaca: but the island is not only this, indeed, it exists outside of literary space and is a popular destination for summer nautical (and other) tourism.

Geographically, Ithaca is located in the Ionian Sea, attached to Kefalonia and a stone’s throw from the main islands of the Ionian Islands, such as Lefkada, Zakynthos, and the aforementioned “neighbor,” separated only by a narrow arm of the sea. It is located, Ithaca, in a convenient and central position for those sailing in the archipelago, an excellent port of call and base for sailing the surrounding areas.

Morphologically, the island has a characteristic elongated shape “choked” in the middle: its northern and southern parts are in fact divided by a narrow isthmus of land. Ithaca is rough and mountainous, offering stupendous views from its heights and a barren, wild nature that has not yet been affected by the tourist-accommodation facilities that have nonetheless sprung up in recent years.

Ithaca does not offer major tourist attractions, but it is still worth the time to visit. A main town, that of Vathy where the island’s busiest port is also located, a few other villages with a total of just over 3,000 inhabitants; a few museums, some interesting remains from the Mycenaean age, and many suggestions along the hiking trails that crisscross the island and lead tourists in search of the ruins of Odysseus’ mythical palace (which so far, however, has not been located). The hikes are worth the effort, if only for the extraordinary views from the top of the island’s heights.

Getting to Ithaca presents no particular problems. The island for sailors offers three landings and a few other good anchorage points. It must be said that none of them offer complete and certain shelter in any wind; in any case, if there are no exceptional sea and wind conditions, one can still spend a quiet night.

The main port on the island of Ithaca is that of Vathy. It, along with the village of the same name, lies at the bottom of a very wide and sheltered natural inlet with a distinctive “mushroom” shape. The bay, open to the northwest, offers good shelter from northerly winds but is subject to strong gusts especially at its opening; the gusts are due to a sea breeze that mounts almost every afternoon and can become even moderately strong. The advice, when approaching Vathy, is to anchor near the entrance and head for the ports taking advantage of the engine.

The breeze also conditions the mooring opportunities that are offered by the ports, which consists of nothing more than a waterfront quay at the foot of the town. Boats usually moor at the west pier, which offers about 20 berths and is marked with yellow lines, at which one can moor stern or bow, taking advantage of the anchor that will be dropped on the 3.5-4 meter deep, discrete seagrass and mud bottom.

Another option is to anchor right in front of the village, centrally, where, however, the depth is shallower (a little more than 2 meters) and the shelter from the north and northwest winds is also less; in case of strong winds, it is better to anchor in the center of the bay, in front of the village (parallel to this pier, basically), where the bottom is 10-15 meters deep and the anchor holds well.

A third option offered by the port of Vathy is an additional pier not far from the village, about a kilometer as the crow flies, at the east end of the harbor bay, a kind of small horseshoe-shaped dock where another 15 or so boats can be accommodated. Depths here are very variable, ranging from 2 to 6.5 meters, and there is virtually no shelter from southerly winds.There is also a fuel station here , open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (+30 2674 033316), at which water can also be supplied.

Services at Vathy ports are absent except for fuel. No gas stations, no electricity. The village, on the other hand, lacks almost nothing: supermarkets, nautical stores, banks, pharmacies, bars and restaurants. There are also bike and motorcycle rentals, a viable option if you want to tour the fascinating island.

If you can’t find room in the ports, one possibility is offered, to the south, by theislet of Parapigadi: between Ithaca and the islet there is room to anchor, 4-5 meters the seabed, good hold, decent shelter. Superb sea and excellent possibilities for a good swim!