Anchorage

Carnac - plage

Shelter: NW, N, NE, W
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage off the Grande Plage of Carnac in Quiberon Bay, south Brittany. Sand bottom over a wide gently shelving beach.

Mooring buoys
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south across Quiberon Bay, keeping clear of the Men er Roué and Les Grays rocks to the west. Shellfish parks and pot buoys clutter the water off the beach, so favour an approach from the west in good visibility. Anchor between the yellow buoys and the shore, holding good on flat sand; anchoring seaward of the buoys is prohibited over the oyster beds. Sheltered from NW through N to NE and from W, exposed to southerlies which build a short steep chop.

Practical

No services at the anchorage. Port de Carnac 0.4 NM to W with water, diesel, visitor berths and chandlery. Dinghies are usually landed at the Carnac yacht club. All shops, restaurants and supermarket along Boulevard de la Plage within 300 m of any landing point by dinghy.

Ashore

Grande Plage of Carnac, 2 km of sand with beach clubs and lifeguards in season. Carnac megalithic alignments of Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan at 2 km inland, over 3 000 standing stones erected between 4500 and 2500 BC. Musée de Préhistoire de Carnac on Place de la Chapelle.

History

The Carnac alignments form the largest Neolithic megalithic site in the world. They were first described scientifically by James Miln and Zacharie Le Rouzic in the late 19th century and are currently on the French tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage inscription as part of the Megaliths of Carnac and the shores of Morbihan.