Mouillage

Badia de Portbou

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Shelter: SW, W, NW
Seabed: sand, rock
Anchoring: Allowed

Bay on the Franco-Spanish border on the Côte Vermeille, sand and rock bottom, sheltered from SW, W and NW.

Pontoon
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Open approach from seaward. The centre of the bay is sand with rocks around the edges, so anchor on the sand near the buoys, closer to the beach where it is shallower and better sheltered, in about 5 to 8 metres with good holding. Even a light easterly sends swell into the bay and makes it roll. In a tramontana the bay is a lee shore only on the west side; shift north to Cerbère or Banyuls if the wind veers.

Practical

Land the tender by following the quay to the left into a small channel leading to the slipway in front of the town hall, though the marina itself turns dinghies away. A grocery 200 metres from the beach stays open in season, alcohol and tobacco are cheap at Spanish prices, and there is a small but well stocked chandlery. Fuel is available 24 hours self-service at the port. The railway station above the town is handy for a crew change.

Ashore

The village of Portbou sits around the railway station built for the Franco-Spanish gauge break in 1878. Walter Benjamin memorial by Dani Karavan on the cliff above the cemetery, 400 m from the beach. Coastal path GR 92 climbs south to Cap de Creus.