The sharp islands
To avoid the islands of the strait Telemachos steers towards the sharp islands or, as some translators call them, the pointed islands. The Taphian islands have a sharp outline, but if he just meant those why wouldn't Homer simply have said Telemachos sailed to Taphos?
There are also some other islands that can be called sharp because of their name: the Echinai. Echinai means sea-urchins, which are, of course, very sharp and pointy creatures.
Of course, Homer could also have used the phrase sharp or pointed islands to refer to both island groups, which I think he did, thus indicating a route that took Telemachos past the Echinai as well as Taphos. With that in mind, we should now be able to determine where this 'nearest shore' of Ithaca is.
First though, we have to ask ourselves why he specifically speaks of the nearest coast. To understand that let's first visualize the probable route Telemachos must have taken.
There are also some other islands that can be called sharp because of their name: the Echinai. Echinai means sea-urchins, which are, of course, very sharp and pointy creatures.
Of course, Homer could also have used the phrase sharp or pointed islands to refer to both island groups, which I think he did, thus indicating a route that took Telemachos past the Echinai as well as Taphos. With that in mind, we should now be able to determine where this 'nearest shore' of Ithaca is.
First though, we have to ask ourselves why he specifically speaks of the nearest coast. To understand that let's first visualize the probable route Telemachos must have taken.
Taphos
Echinades
Sea urchin
Echinai