Our last Ionian island Our last Ionian island Zakynthos

Just a few hours’ sail south of Kefalonia lies Zakynthos. An amazing island. At 400 square kilometres, it is only half the size of Kefalonia (compared to Corfu’s 590 square kilometres), but has a larger population of 40,000 people. Our last Ionian island Zakynthos

When talking about Greek islands, Zakynthos – or Zante, as the locals call it – is unlikely to be mentioned. But the amazing thing is that Zakynthos was voted the most beautiful island in the world. Ahead of the heavyweights Bora Bora and Mauritius. That is remarkable. Well, it was only a vote on Travelbook, but certainly a nice thing.

We have visited quite a few islands, but it would be very difficult for me to choose ‘the most beautiful’. Although we are often asked about it. In fact, Zakynthos is a very beautiful island that has a lot and variety to offer. There are clear waters, wonderful beaches, nature reserves for turtles, mountains, lush nature, fantastic viewpoints and a nice capital.

Ka`s painted impressions from Zakynthos

Even in the off-season – the last days of which we are currently enjoying – there are plenty of ferry connections and there are also flights to the local airport – noticeably often from the Netherlands. It is also worth noting that there are 50% more hotels in the smaller Zakynthos than in Kefalonia and significantly more luxury hotels. Many criteria for a insider tip are fulfilled.

Now is the ideal time for sailors, although the sea is still cold at under 20 degrees. There is plenty of space everywhere, there are very few charterers on the move. But fewer of them come to Zante anyway because it is further away from the large charter bases. Our last Ionian island Zakynthos

Mooring in Zakynthos

The main attractions of Zakynthos are the caves in the north-east, the beach with the wreck in the north-west and the turtle bay in the south. However, these places are less suitable for sailors, as anchoring is usually prohibited or unfavourable. In summer you can’t do that anyway, because of the far too many excursion boats that drop tourists off at these places.

View over Zakynthos, “Yacht Club Zakynthos”

We only knew the north of the island before. This time we headed for the capital in the south-east: it’s also called Zakynthos. In the sailing community, you hardly hear very flattering things about the capital. We wanted to find out for ourselves. Just as well, because we found a really nice little town. Our last Ionian island Zakynthos

There is a good anchorage north of the town. According to the nautical chart, there is also an anchorage to the south, but the numerous ferries pass close by. However, the weather was forecast to be bad when we arrived, so we headed for the town harbour, or rather the pier of the ‘yacht club’ (YCZ). You can’t see anything of a yacht club, the pier is just a piece of solid Greek masonry. But the dockmaster Alex kindly helps us out with the usual anchoring stern back to the dock. The muddy bottom in the bay offers very good holding for anchors. There is plenty of space at this time of year and you can book through Navily or directly at the YCZ (yachtingclubzakynthos.gr), both at fair prices.

We paid €30 per night, excluding electricity and water. This is undrinkable anyway. However apparently descendants of pirates deliver drinking water by lorry at adventurous prices. Our neighbours eventually negotiated the price down from an absurdly expensive to expensive €15 per 100 litres. They felt it was still not drinkable at all. For us it was nice that we didn’t need neither power nor water and our amortisation account increased virtually.

The pier is within walking distance of the town and there are many restaurants in pleasant squares where you can linger. However, you can feel that everything here is prepared for more visitors in the high season. In addition to the squares, there is a very long shopping street in the city centre. There are lots of bars and restaurants on the waterfront. In a side street we bought the best bread in ages, including a visit to Germany. Sailors will find a good range of provisions. We didn’t see any chandleries.

Typical Greek town

Zakynthos welcomed us with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. In the harbour we met old sailing buddies Sandra and Roland and got to know new ones, Trish and Steven. We ate delicious fish in typical tavernas in the evening, strolled through the town and wondered about the post-Easter traditions with colorful decoration, bells ringing at 4.00 am and singing in churches.

Just so as not to give the wrong impression of an always cheerful sailing life: the careful maintenance of a toilet was also one of our duties. These are owner’s pleasures and it is just as disgusting as you would imagine. But after rain comes sunshine.

When the weather got nicer again, we hiked up a mountain with the Bohali fortress and a church, right next to a couple of cafes with sensational views. You can’t really go anywhere without seeing a church. These orthodox churches are usually very dark, but splendidly painted and decorated. It happened that when we entered, we were greeted by older Greeks who greeted us effusively and talked at us. As we didn’t understand anything, we at least accepted it as a warm welcome and the candles we were given seemed to confirm the hospitality.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that our knowledge of speaking Greek is progressing very poorly. But that’s probably because we’re currently learning Spanish and the greek alphabet makes it harder to remember. English is halfway there, but much worse than on the northern Ionian Islands.

The last view to the Ionian Islands

On Sunday morning, with the sun slowly making its way across the blue sky, we weighed anchor, set sails and left our last Ionian island. Our next destination is the Peloponnese /Holger Binz