Full-day private cruise · Marina Gouvia, Corfu
The islands past the end of Corfu.
Erikoussa, Othonoi and Mathraki sit off the northwest corner of the island, with open sea between them and everything else. Reaching them is a genuine open-water run. Eight hours, up to seven guests, €1,500 for the boat rather than per person.
Corfu’s northern island neighbours
Three islands, and a great deal of water around them.
Your private skippered cruise runs on a Technohull GT7, a fast, open RIB with a solid deep-V hull and an inflatable collar. The hull gives stability and a smooth ride in chop; your skipper sets the pace for the sea conditions. Its pace makes this full-day island route possible from Gouvia, with the forecast deciding whether to go.
The boat is noisy, and long runs with the engines up are tiring. You are on an open deck, with wind and movement during the crossing. If you want frequent breaks between runs, consider a four- to six-hour northeast cruise with regular stops. Tell us about your group before choosing.
Off the northwest corner of Corfu, past the last headland, there are three more islands: Erikoussa, Othonoi and Mathraki. They are inhabited, they are small, and they are barely developed by Corfu’s standards. West of them there is nothing but open sea until Italy. That setting is the entire point of the day — not a particular beach or a particular cave, but the fact that you have gone somewhere few visitors reach.
It is also an exposed run, and we would rather be honest about that than sell you a picture. There is no sheltered coast to duck behind once you leave the top of Corfu. We choose the morning on the forecast, and if the wind is wrong for an open crossing we tell you early and either move your day or refund it in full.
What you do when you get there is straightforward. Anchor off a beach and swim, run along the cliffs on the south side of Othonoi and look into the caves cut into them, and tie up at Erikoussa’s port for an hour if you want to walk about and have a coffee. Which islands you reach, and in what order, is agreed with you and then settled by the sea.
- 4.9 · 51 Google reviews
- Up to 7 guests, always private
- Skipper, fuel & taxes included
- Marina Gouvia, Corfu
- Free cancellation up to 5 days
Getting out there
Open water, and small islands.
For a stretch of this route there is no coast within reach, and that is worth understanding before you book rather than after. It is also why the day is worth doing: distance is what keeps the Diapontia quiet, and there is no version of this trip that gets you the emptiness without the water in between.
We do not publish a crossing time. It changes with the sea state and with which island you have asked to reach first, and a number on a web page would be a guess we might not be able to keep. What we will do, when you enquire, is tell you plainly what this day tends to look like at the time of year you are coming — including when we think a different route would suit your group.
Once you are there
Not much happens, and that is the offer.
The three islands are not interchangeable. Erikoussa is the one with the sand and the pines behind it, and the small port where you can get off the boat for an hour. Othonoi is the largest, with a cliffed coast on its south side cut with sea caves. Mathraki is the quiet one, and stays quiet. On a single eight-hour day you will do one or two of them properly rather than collect all three, and we would rather you had one long swim off an empty beach than three rushed photographs.
Plan on the boat being your base out here. Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks are aboard and kept cold, there is shade beneath the central canopy and open sun on the forward sunpad, and there is an onboard WC and a freshwater shower — which count for a lot on a route that spends a good part of the day in open water.
Where the day goes
Where the day can take you.
Three islands, one day. Realistically you will take one or two of them at a proper pace. Which ones, and in what order, is agreed with you and then decided by the wind — we will not promise a specific island or a specific beach in advance.
Sand rather than pebble, with pine behind the beach. The usual anchorage and the easiest of the three to swim off.
The largest of the three, with cliffs and caves along its southern coast. One of them carries Calypso’s name; the island’s claim to be the Ogygia of the Odyssey is a local tradition rather than settled fact.
A working island port rather than a resort harbour. Somewhere to tie up, walk for half an hour and find a coffee in season.
Up the length of Corfu first, past the top of the island, and then the coast simply stops and the open water begins.
- Erikoussa
- Othonoi
- Mathraki
Your day, in order
How the day actually runs.
Not a timetable — the shape of it. This route is offered as a full eight hours only, and the sea has a say in how the morning itself is arranged.
Meeting at Marina Gouvia
You meet your skipper at the pontoon and talk the day through before casting off. We agree an early start when you book, and we confirm the day against the forecast rather than hoping — on an open-water route that conversation matters.
North, then out
Up the east coast and round the top of Corfu. Then the island falls away behind you and there is open water ahead. Sit forward for the wind and the view or aft beneath the canopy for the shade.
The first island
Anchor off a beach and get in. Snorkelling equipment, the stand-up paddleboard and the sea scooter are aboard and included, and there is rarely anyone waiting for the spot you are in. Drinks and fruit come out of the fridge.
An hour at Erikoussa
Tie up at the port if you want to stand on land, walk up into the village, and eat if something is open. Meals ashore are not included in the price and depend on the season, so we treat lunch here as a bonus rather than a fixture.
The run home
Back across and down the coast, usually with one more swim on the Corfu side if the time and the sea allow, a rinse under the freshwater shower, and into the same pontoon at Gouvia you left from.
This is the shape of the day, not a timetable. Sea conditions, the season and what your group feels like doing on the day all change the detail — which is the point of having the boat to yourselves.
Practical details
Practical details for this cruise.
Eight hours, full day only
€1,700, currently €1,500. There is no shorter version of this route — the distance does not allow one, and a rushed version would defeat the point of going.
Departing Marina Gouvia
You start and finish at the same pontoon, with parking at the marina. Transfers to and from your accommodation are not included, although we are happy to help you arrange one.
An exposed run
Open sea, with no coast to shelter behind for part of it. We pick the morning on the forecast and we will not publish a crossing time we cannot stand behind.
Up to seven guests
Up to seven guests are welcome; six fit comfortably on a crossing this long. The price is the total for the boat and does not change with the number of guests.
Shade, sun and where you sit
There is shade beneath the central canopy and open sun on the forward sunpad. On a long day in open water this matters — if anyone in your group needs to stay out of the sun, say so when you book and we will plan the seating around it.
If the weather is wrong
If conditions are unsuitable your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded. On an open-water route we would rather move your day than give you a poor one.
Your skipper
Christos Batralis has over 5,000 hours at the wheel and speaks English, German and Greek.
Included in your private price
More than the boat.
Everything below is part of the group price. You are not assembling a day out of extras.
Your skipper, Christos
Handles the boat and the navigation all day. Experienced, and speaks English and German as well as Greek.
Fuel and all taxes
Included in the price you see. There is no fuel surcharge and no hidden extra at the dock.
Drinks and refreshments
Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks are aboard and included.
Snorkelling equipment
Masks and snorkels for up to seven, ready at every swimming stop.
A stand-up paddleboard
Aboard as standard, for the quieter bays where you want to explore.
A sea scooter
Carried aboard. Use follows the conditions and your skipper’s guidance.
Onboard WC and freshwater shower
A full day on the water stays comfortable, and you can rinse the salt off before heading back.
Shade beneath the canopy
A central canopy over the helm and the seating behind it, and an open sunpad forward for whoever wants the sun.
A refrigerator aboard
Drinks and fruit stay cold from Gouvia to the last stop.
Music
Music aboard throughout the day.
Wi-Fi aboard
Useful for the photographs you will want to send before you are back on land.
A route agreed with you
Your stops and their order are planned with you, not fixed by a timetable.
Not included: towels (bring your own), restaurant meals, transfers and any special arrangements — these are agreed with you separately before booking. Stops and their order follow your agreed route, the available time and the conditions on the day.
Choosing between boat options
Why a private day, rather than a seat on someone else’s boat.
One boat, one group, one total price — and a route agreed with you rather than set by a timetable. A shared excursion sells individual seats; your private cruise reserves the boat for your group and lets you plan the route with your skipper.
Before you enquire
Questions people ask before booking
Is the price per person or for the whole boat?
For the whole boat. €1,500 is the total for your group of up to seven guests, and it does not increase per head. A couple pays the same as a party of seven for the same eight hours. There is no per-person ticket for this route, because the boat is not shared — it goes out with your group aboard and nobody else.
Do we drive the boat, or share it with other people?
Neither. Your skipper is aboard for the whole cruise and handles the boat, the anchoring and the navigation — you need no licence and no experience, and on an open-water route that is the point. The boat carries your group alone, with no fixed timetable. Your skipper speaks English, German and Greek.
What is included in the price, and what is not?
Included: your skipper, fuel and all taxes; water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks; snorkelling equipment, a stand-up paddleboard and a sea scooter; the onboard WC, freshwater shower and refrigerator; shade beneath the central canopy; music and Wi-Fi aboard. Not included: any meal ashore on the islands, transfers to and from the marina, and special arrangements — agreed separately before you book. Nothing is added afterwards.
How long does it take to get out there?
We will not put a figure on it. It depends on the sea state and on which island you want to reach first, and a published number would be a promise we could not keep on every day of the summer. When you enquire we will describe the shape of the day honestly for the time of year you are coming.
Will we visit all three islands?
Probably not, and we would not recommend trying. Eight hours including the run out and back gives you time to do one or two of them properly. Which ones is agreed with you beforehand and then adjusted for the wind on the morning, because an anchorage that is comfortable on one side of an island can be unusable on the other.
Is this the right trip if someone gets seasick?
Honestly, probably not. This is an exposed route, and on a day with any sea running it will feel like it. If someone in your group is prone to seasickness, the northeast Corfu coast gives you sheltered water and short hops between bays, and Sivota puts you in shallow, calm water once you are across. Tell us who is coming and we will point you at the right day rather than the most expensive one.
Is there anywhere to eat on the islands?
Erikoussa has a village and a port with places to eat in season, and there is usually time to tie up and sit down. But this is not Corfu — what is open depends on the month and the day, so we plan on the assumption that lunch might be what is aboard. Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks are included; a meal ashore is not.
What should we bring?
Swimwear, a towel, a hat and sun protection for a day in open light — it is a long day and much of it is in open light. Soft bags rather than hard cases if you can. Everything else is already aboard: drinks, snacks, snorkelling gear, the paddleboard, shade, a shower and a WC.
What happens if we need to cancel?
Free cancellation up to five days before your cruise. If conditions on the day are unsuitable, your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded — and on an open-water route like this one we will usually be the ones raising it. No payment is taken at the enquiry stage.
We can help you work out the details of your day before you decide.