Itinerary Greece - Lefkada - Ithaka 

Sailing in Greece can be done in numerous locations. One of the most interesting areas is the Ionian sea around Lefkada (just south of Corfu).  There are many daily planes to the nearby airport of Preveza. Famous islands include Ithaka (ithaki), Kefalonia, and Meganisi. Sailing is only done inside (east) of Kefalonia, where the waters are generally very calm. Winds are mostly stronger in the afternoon than in the morning. 

Sailing days are typically 4 to 5 hours per day, and mooring is mostly done in a harbour or free at anchor. The Greeks have a typical but very convenient way of mooring, where you anchor backwards to a port. Sometimes lines are provided that you pick up and tie your boat with, or the combination of anchor and shore line works great. For the classical educated, ithaka is offcourse the home of Odysseus, whose palace (ruins) can be visited. 

The islands can be visited by scooter or car, so sometimes it is worthwile to stay 2 nights in a port, to discover the inlands of for example ithaka. 

Sailboats are rented from saturday 16.00 until saturday 10.00, the ship has to be back in the port Friday evening around 19.00. Prices in Greece are lower than in Croatia. Outside of tourist places, expect  50-% of Germany cost levels and harbours can be free or around 15 euro.

Depending on flight times and wishes, it is possible to arrive a day earlier and leave a day later. There are many hotels/villa's accomodating this nearby

Accommodation - very similar to Croatia. Generally Greece is a little warmer than Croatia, and the sun shines fiercly. 

Ships are available from 6 to 12-14 persons, 10 to 17 meters. Generally well maintained and safe. They always include a dingy (small boat) with an outboard engine (rented separately), multiple indoor and outdoor showers, full kitchen, towel sets (paid extra), full size beds ( over 1.90 meter). Additional toys such as SUPS can be rented and are big fun. There is always a mandatory cleaning fee of around 100 euro. 

The most important differences in prices are based on season, high season being sometimes 3x more expensive, and the age of the ship. Expect the newest ships to have open sterns with a large swimming platform of 2 square meter or more, an extra fridge, and more modern sails, so you would theoretically go a little faster. But speed is mostly dependent on the length of a ship. A 16 meter ship will sail almost 2 as fast as a 9 meter. 

The slightly older ships (8 to 15 years old) are often 50% of the price of the most modern ships. The drawback is they may have a door in a kitchen cabinet that is not perfect any more, some scratches, a little louder engine, and sometimes you just need to fix a small thing or 2 during the sailing. Swimming platforms may be fixed and smaller. All ships are safe and well maintained generally. Rental companies require the skipper to have ICC papers, VHF license and occasionally additional proof of skills for the larger ships. Security deposit is around Eur 2.000

Before any sailing/rental, a full proof of certification must be sent. Insurance is included with a risk of around 1.500-2.000 euro. Always expect and include something breaking so reserve some cost for that. All travellers must be registered to port and sea authority before leaving. (quite some paperwork)

Sample ships: Full calculation in sheet

Role of skipper:
- rent ship at best possible price (transparent)
- guide and teach sailing
- safely dock and undock ship
- prepare dingy etc
- help planning tour
- maintenance and repairs
- arrangement of security and deposits
- shopping if required (based on the volume this can't be done alone)
- fly ahead to inspect and prepare everything regarding ship
- arrange transfer to from airport