Kea (Tzia) anchorage guide · Cyclades
Kea (Tzia) Yacht Anchorages: The 2026 Guide
Where to anchor a yacht around Kea (Tzia): documented depth, holding and shelter for the island's main anchorages, drawn from published cruising sources.
Last updated May 2026
Kea (Tzia) 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.
Kea is only about 16 nm from the Athens marinas at Lavrio, a convenient first or last stop, but it is one of the islands most notorious for violent katabatic gusts to leeward in the Meltemi.
Ashore: Ioulida, the hilltop Chora with its 13th-century castle remains and Archaeological Museum, the famous Lion of Kea carved from the rock, and the Bronze Age site of Ayia Eirini near Vourkari.
The anchorages
3 anchorages around Kea (Tzia)
Use this guide to understand your captain's routing, request specific anchorages on your preference sheet, judge whether Kea (Tzia) fits your charter style, and pair it sensibly with nearby islands.
Vourkari (in Agios Nikolaos bay)
Holding
Good, but deep, use at least 40 m of chain
Shelter
The main yacht anchorage, within one of the safest natural harbours in the Mediterranean.
Very crowded in summer with permanent moorings; quieter to anchor out in the large bay.
Best for: Base near Athens
Poles bay (by Cape Tamelos)
Holding
Sand, good
Shelter
Calm weather only.
A small deserted cove.
Korissia / Livadi (ferry port)
Holding
Suspicious, with rocks and stones protruding
Shelter
In the strongest NE Meltemi both swell and gusts can make it untenable.
Use the marina rather than anchor.
When to visit
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.
Captain's note
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. Pick the anchorage to the wind: in the prevailing summer airflow, favour the lee and sheltered bays listed above, and keep a documented all-weather shelter or a layover day in reserve when the forecast climbs. Depths and holding here follow published cruising sources; your captain will confirm the exact anchor drop against current charts on arrival.
Charter Kea (Tzia)
Speak with George P. Biniaris directly. MYBA-standard contracts, full Greek charter fleet.