10 Favourite Anchorages in Greece

Few know more about cruising Greece than Rod Heikell whose pilot guides remain an invaluable sailor companion. Here are his top 10 anchorages in Greece

Choosing a favourite anchorage in Greece is a bit like going to the old pick-and-mix stand and getting lost amongst the variety of sugary sweets to choose from. So, 10 favourites could easily become 20 or 30. Anchorages can have a special resonance for all sorts of reasons: from their beauty, to their solitude, to safety and all-round shelter, to old nostalgic associations and more. For this limited choice you have every reason to disagree and wonder why on earth I left out your favourite anchorage in Greece. Because it’s just 10 of them. Greece has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean and moreover the coastline was drawn by some god, or maybe Slartibartfast from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with a shaky hand so that it has lots of indentations and gulfs all over the place that provide a bounty of anchorages. Around the coast and islands of Greece you can usually find a good anchorage within 20 or 30 miles, usually less. These are 10 of my favourites.

Erikoussa

North of Corfu there are a couple of islands that provide useful stepping-stones to and from Greece and Italy. On the south side of Erikoussa island there is a large bay with gently shallowing depths and a sandy bottom that provides good shelter from the prevailing northwest winds in the summer. On the west side of the bay the harbour has been renovated and you can berth stern-to in here if you need or want to.

By day tripper boats from Corfu bring tourists over to the bay but by four in the afternoon they have all departed to return to Corfu and peace returns in the anchorage. Ashore Erikoussa is a somewhat sleepy little place but there are tavernas and cafes. The next island in the group is Othoni to the west of Erikoussa, a popular place to arrive at or depart to Italy. It also has some very good fish restaurants.

Methoni

On the southwest corner of the Peloponnese is Methoni, another favourite on the route around the Peloponnese. It’s conspicuous from afar by the sprawling Venetian fort on the headland with the conspicuous Turkish tower on the end. Anchor off the beach where there is good shelter from the prevailing northwest wind.

Apart from anything else a stroll through the Venetian castle to the Turkish tower on the end is a must. After that choose a taverna in town and settle down for the evening. Methoni is very much a small Greek resort without the bars and clubs of some other places.

Skindos on Dhokos

In the Saronic the large bay on the north side of Dhokos Island affords good shelter from southerlies and the meltemi if it has crept down from further north. It is also a haven of peace away from the madness of harbours like Hydra and Poros in the high season. The anchorage is quite deep in places so some yachts take a line ashore. On the northwest side of the bay is an inlet that a few yachts can squeeze into though care is needed of a large mooring chain on the bottom. 

There is really nothing here on the maqui covered slopes except a herd of goats and a lone goat herder. There will often be a few big motor yachts anchored here but most of them leave in the late afternoon to return to nearby harbours with tavernas and cafes.

Vathi on Sifnos 

There have been several times in nearby Livadhi on Serifos Island when the meltemi has screamed into the bay and the poor holding has led to an exasperated ‘let’s get out of here’. The choice was inevitably to go to Vathi on Sifnos Island, an oval anchorage with near all-round shelter. The bay is towards the southern end of the west side of the island though the entrance can be difficult to make out. Once inside there are reasonable depths to anchor in most parts of the bay.

On the north side there is a stubby pier where a few yachts can get a berth with a taverna immediately ashore. There are also tavernas around the beach. You can hire scooters here and it’s worth it to get up to the chora and to Kastro, the Medieval capital on the east side of the island perched on the steep slopes above the sea.

Naoussa on Paros  

One of our hurricane holes when the meltemi whistles through the central Cyclades is the indented bay of Naoussa on the north side of Paros. With the meltemi we will usually go to Ay Ioannou on the west side of the entrance but there is also Langeri on the east side. In Ay Ioannou anchor where convenient and settle down to let the meltemi die off… you may be several days here. Ay Ioannou is all sun-baked rock eroded into fantastic shapes and turquoise water. A sort of beach bar opens occasionally on the shore but don’t rely on it. There is also a delightful little white-washed chapel on the shore with a notice that asks you not to go naked – still the bay is popular with nudists who wander around from Naoussa village. You can take the dinghy over to the village and marina where there are good tavernas and provisions.

Levitha

On the eastern edge of the Cyclades is the island of Levitha looking something like a Rorschach blob of stone set in the Aegean. On the southern side is a long inlet on either side of the entrance with the eastern side the favoured anchorage in the meltemi. The local family who live here have laid moorings in the inlet for which they make a modest charge. Alternatively anchor off in the western inlet with a line ashore.

There is little on the island but a herd of goats and a fisherman or two. Manolis and his family look after the moorings and the goats, a few sheep and some chickens. They live about fifteen minutes’ walk inland along a rough track and run a modest taverna. Mumma cooks stews and grilled meat and any fish that have been caught. The whole place is powered by wind and solar and the experience should not be missed. Just remember to take a torch for the walk home.

Loutra on Lesvos   

Lesvos is the third largest island in Greece and has a lot of good anchorages around its long coastline. In the southeast corner is the Gulf of Yeras with the well sheltered Bay of Loutra tucked in on the east side of the entrance to the gulf. This is a good place to be when the meltemi blows strongly with good shelter and a sticky mud bottom. Mind you there are still williwaws blowing across the bay.

Ashore there is a café/ouzeria though opening hours are a bit haphazard. The church on the slopes above the south side of the bay makes for an interesting walk. In calmer weather there are a number of delightful anchorages in the entrance with good shelter and turquoise water. It was a toss-up whether I put Sigri at the western end of Lesvos instead of Loutra – Sigri has the excellent Remezzo seafood restaurant just above the anchorage.

Kardhamila on Khios

A long inlet on the northern end of Khios with the most delightful village near the end of the inlet. The meltemi tends to blow straight in from the north but the holding in the anchorage is good or you can tuck under the short pier off the village. In southerlies there is good shelter in the anchorage.

Much of Khios is bereft of trees and vegetation and is a bit like a rocky lunar landscape. Not so Kardhamila which sits in a verdant valley of green. Around the slopes are some impressive Baroque houses built, I was told, by retired sea captains from Khios. Ashore there is a taverna at the root of the mole and several cafes… and of course a gyros bar. Otherwise this is pretty much a wonderful lost part of Khios.

Fourni/Vlikhada (South Bay) 

The meltemi whistles down through the Fourni Islands but thankfully there are a number of good anchorages around the coast of the islands. My favourite is Vlikhada on the bottom of Fourni itself. The wide bay shallows gently in and you can anchor in 5-10 metres on a sandy bottom. There are some rock and weed patches but the water is so clear you can easily spot these. Even in the height of summer I’ve been the only boat here. The surroundings are just rock and maquis. If you need supplies it is a long walk into the village – better to take the boat around to Fourni itself or in Kladharidi just over the hill from the village.

Alimia

Close off the west coast of Rhodes are the islands of Khalki and Alimia. Khalki has a small population around the village, boosted in summer by tourists, whereas Alimia is deserted. On the south side of Alimia is a large indented bay where you can anchor in several places with shelter from the meltemi, here blowing in from the west to northwest, and from southerlies in the cove on the southeast side. Here there is nothing but cicadas, a chapel and a few deserted blockhouses from the second World War. Inside German soldiers, nostalgic for what life might have been like back home or on some distant tropical island far from war, drew a series of cartoons of what life might have been like had there been no war. If you need a bit of life and a taverna or two then you can anchor in Khalki though it is better to go on the summer pontoon off the village if possible.

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