Anafi anchorage guide · Cyclades
Anafi Yacht Anchorages: The Complete Guide
Where to anchor a yacht around Anafi: documented depth, holding and shelter for the island's main anchorages, drawn from published cruising sources.
Last updated August 2026
Anafi sits in the Cyclades.
The Cyclades are dominated by the summer Meltemi (Etesian) northerly, strongest mid-July to mid-August (around Force 5 to 7, gusting higher in open water).
Plan south legs downwind and overnight on lee and south coasts.
May, June and September are calmer.
This guide covers the island's main anchorages with the practical detail charterers and captains actually use: depth where a published cruising source documents it, holding, and shelter direction.
Where a figure was not documented we say so rather than guess.
Anafi sits in the southern Aegean where prevailing winds and seas run higher; the leg out to it is spectacular but best for crews with weather contingency in the plan.
Ashore: Hora, a tranquil hilltop village a couple of kilometres inland from the port, with white-washed houses and far-reaching views, on one of the most remote and unspoilt islands in the Cyclades.
Anafi is the last inhabited island before the open Aegean, east of Santorini, where the prevailing winds and seas run higher than anywhere in the Cyclades, and the leg out to it is spectacular for a crew with a weather contingency in the plan.
The two records are as honest as the island: Agios Nikolaos, the port on the south coast, a small breakwater harbour on an exposed southern coast, its depth and holding not documented in any cruising source and confirmed on the chart, with conditions checked before committing; Roukounas and the Megas Potamos coast to the east, a settled-weather lunch and swim stop, day only.
Anafi is a settled-weather island for a yacht that can carry the sea home to Santorini, 30 miles from Folegandros on our distance table and a morning from Ios.
The yachts that carry the Cyclades wind comfortably are the 20 metre and larger catamarans and the 26 metre and larger motor yachts: on the Greek Charter Index 2026 a 20 to 22 metre sailing catamaran runs EUR 31,500 to 43,500 a week, a 23 to 24 metre EUR 54,900 to 90,000, a 26 to 31 metre motor yacht EUR 35,900 to 75,000, per yacht before VAT and APA.
The anchorages
2 anchorages around Anafi
Use this guide to understand your captain's routing, request specific anchorages on your preference sheet, judge whether Anafi fits your charter style, and pair it sensibly with nearby islands.
Agios Nikolaos (Anafi port, south coast)
Shelter
A small breakwater harbour on an exposed southern-Aegean coast; check conditions before committing.
Depth and holding are not documented in a cruising source; confirm on chart.
Best for: The island's only port
Roukounas / Megas Potamos area (south coast)
Shelter
A settled-weather lunch and swim stop.
Day stop only.
When to visit
The Cyclades are dominated by the summer Meltemi, the northerly that blows hardest from mid-July to mid-August, around Force 5 to 7 and gusting higher in open water, and Anafi sits in the open southern Aegean where the seas run higher; it is an island for the calm windows of June and September, not for August, and on the Greek Charter Index the shoulder months price 15 to 25% below peak on the same rate card with three to four months of lead time rather than a year. Nobody comes in any month, which is the point of the Hora on its hill and the beaches below it.
Captain's note
Go only on a settled forecast with Santorini as the fallback. Agios Nikolaos inside the breakwater, depth and holding confirmed on the chart because no cruising source documents them; Roukounas for the lunch and the swim, leaving before the afternoon sea builds. The Hora is a couple of kilometres inland from the port, and the view from it is the reason the leg was worth it. Depths and holding here follow published cruising sources; the captain confirms the anchor drop against current charts on arrival.
Questions about anchoring at Anafi
Where can a yacht anchor at Anafi?
Anafi has 2 anchorages in this guide: Agios Nikolaos (Anafi port, south coast), Roukounas / Megas Potamos area (south coast). Each entry below gives depth, holding, shelter direction and what is ashore.
When is the best time to anchor at Anafi?
The Cyclades are dominated by the summer Meltemi, the northerly that blows hardest from mid-July to mid-August, around Force 5 to 7 and gusting higher in open water, and Anafi sits in the open southern Aegean where the seas run higher; it is an island for the calm windows of June and September, not for August, and on the Greek Charter Index the shoulder months price 15 to 25% below peak on the same rate card with three to four months of lead time rather than a year. Nobody comes in any month, which is the point of the Hora on its hill and the beaches below it.
What does the captain plan around at Anafi?
Go only on a settled forecast with Santorini as the fallback. Agios Nikolaos inside the breakwater, depth and holding confirmed on the chart because no cruising source documents them; Roukounas for the lunch and the swim, leaving before the afternoon sea builds. The Hora is a couple of kilometres inland from the port, and the view from it is the reason the leg was worth it. Depths and holding here follow published cruising sources; the captain confirms the anchor drop against current charts on arrival.
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