From the channel, going south an hour & a half's sailing will take you to the historic Lefkas canal via the lifting bridge & into the inland sea.
Going north a few hours sailing will bring you to Ligia where there is the best beach & fish taverna for miles around.

Alternatively, if you feel like something different going east through the buoyed channel from Preveza will take you immediately into the Gulf of Amvrakikos which is a haven for wildlife particularly dolphins, turtles & Pelicans.

The winds around the Preveza area are quite consistent in the summer. There can be variable light winds until midday when the direction will usually swing to the NW or WNW. Lunchtime anchoring can sometimes be a bit lumpy but by sunset the wind will have dropped. Katabatic winds are peculiar to the area especially around the mainland south east coast of Lefkas where it blows off the high mountains.

In the spring & autumn there may be the occasional gale & squalls from the south but these usually die down after an hour or so. In the spring these winds may carry red rain, which is the bane of yotties who have just recently cleaned & polished their yachts for the season.

Despite advances is modern navigation equipment sailing in the Ionian is usually by sight. There are many predominant Venitian forts, isolated houses & islets that will clearly indicate where you are in relation to any navigable dangers plotted on a chart.

Hazards

One word of warning though, in the heat of the summer a haze may make a distant feature hard to see until only a few miles off. Likewise on some mornings a sea mist may sometimes reduce visibility to a few hundred metres but this will burn off during the morning.

When sailing in the Gulf particularly it's always prudent to watch out for fishing marker buoys – these come in the shape of black poled flags but also can be marked by plastic water bottles & lumps of polystyrene these usually indicate mussel pots.

Watch out for surface nets in isolated bays too these are quite difficult to remove from propellers.

When sailing at night never rely 100% on navigation lights – these are sometimes out of order due to the sheer number of them. Fishermen also use bright spots for attracting kalamari, which can sometimes be confused for the harbour light you've been trying to spot.

Typically the Ionian has very few isolated rocks & reefs & these can be seen in good visibility. Green water is always a good indication of a shallow area or reef.

One of the few hazards for swimmers in the area is the sea urchin, which although harmless if trodden on can cause irritation if not removed quickly. These are easily spotted in shallow water & around the waterline of rocks.