Anchorage

arcachon bay

Shelter: E, S, SE
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Sand anchorage on the north shore of the bassin d'Arcachon, off the oyster village of Le Canon on the presqu'île du Cap-Ferret.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Enter the bassin d'Arcachon through the passes off Cap Ferret, a banc shifting area signposted by buoys repositioned each spring by the SHOM. Inside the basin, follow the buoyed channels of the Courant du Pyla. Sand bottom with good holding. The anchorage itself is entered between wooden stakes, from the north-east or more easily from the north, and the passage is easiest to make out at low water. Shelter from east, south and SE, open to the west and NW where the afternoon thermal breeze can build a short sea. Le Canon village at 1.8 NM W, Claouey sailing club at 2.3 NM N.

Practical

No marina on site, only a drying pontoon used by oyster farmers. Nearest fuel and all services at Port d'Arcachon on the south shore, 3 NM south across the basin.

Ashore

Oyster village of Le Canon with tasting cabanes open from Easter to November, about 300 m from the beach. Vélodyssée cycle route runs behind the dune from Claouey to the Phare du Cap Ferret at 6 km south. Beach of the bassin calm and gently shelving, suitable for swimming from young children.

History

The oyster villages of the Cap-Ferret peninsula, Le Canon, Piraillan, L'Herbe, Le Grand Piquey, were built from the 1860s onward as seasonal cabanes for the claires of plat and creuse oysters.