About the Ionian

The Ionians rise out of sparkling blue waters, islands scattered with tiny, white-painted villages nestling on the slopes of hills clad in olive and cypress. Women in traditional costume sit in their gardens, shaded by vines and apricot trees and surrounded by glorious profusions of flowers, gossiping as they tat intricate lacework. The gnarled fisherman in his picturesque boat nods a smiling Yassu of greeting, helps you to tie up at the quay, and offers the pick of his catch to be freshly cooked for your supper; mullet, lobster, swordfish, octopus.

These islands are quite different from those of the Aegean to start with, high rainfall in the winter ensures that the hills remain green and fresh all year round. The waters are clean and clear: you can spot shoals of fish swimming around your keel. And the local people welcome you hospitably with the traditional Greek friendliness towards visitors.

The whole area simply oozes historic atmosphere. Its the setting of Homers Iliad, while numerous forts and other ruins bear witness to centuries of domination by Venice. Indeed, many of the olive trees date back to Venetian times, when they were widely planted to enable the islanders to pay taxes to their overlords in the form of olive oil.

If you're lucky, a school of dolphins may decide to use your yacht as an adventure playground as you sail along; or you may sight a turtle gracefully powering its way through the translucent water. But the experience of a lifetime for many of our clients is watching sparkling clouds of fireflies, dancing over the sea on a spring evening.