Anchorage

Doëlan

Shelter: NW, N, NE, W, E
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Forbidden

Narrow ria on the south Brittany coast between Lorient and Concarneau, with 25 visitor buoys laid by the commune of Clohars-Carnoët.

Water
Mooring buoys
Visitor buoys

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Entrance aligned on the transit of the two white leading lights, upper green roof, lower red roof, bearing 014 degrees. Ria sheltered from N, NE, NW, W and E, but open to swell in the entrance and poorly protected in SE to W winds. Moor fore and aft between two buoys with help from the harbour launch, passing the warp through the rope strop, not the ring on the red buoy. The spacing suits boats up to about 10 metres; larger boats find the buoys too close. Depths hold from mid-tide up. VHF 69 for the harbour master.

Practical

Twenty five visitor buoys on both sides of the ria, water at the quay, no fuel on site. Expect around 16 euros a night in August for a 7 metre boat. Showers and toilets are few but were rebuilt in 2026, and there is no wifi and weak mobile reception on the moorings. Bakery, butcher and small grocery in the lower village within 200 metres of the landing steps.

Ashore

The GR34 coastal path climbs both banks of the ria and links to the Plage du Kérou beach at 1.2 km. The crêperie La Cabane de la Mouette sits on the quay, and a maritime cooperative selling Rosbras oilskins stands by the harbour. Fish auction on the north quay most mornings. Pont-Aven, the village of the Gauguin painters school, sits 12 km by road.

History

Doëlan was a sardine and tuna port through the 19th and early 20th century. Two canneries still stand on the quays and the lower lighthouse dates from 1883.