Anchorage

Falaises de Vaches Noires

4.0FranceCôte Fleurie and Alabaster Coast

Shelter: S, SE
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Open roadstead off the cliffs between Villers-sur-Mer and Houlgate, on the Calvados coast of Normandy. Fair-weather anchorage only.

Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from seaward with good visibility. Sand bottom gives fair holding, and it holds well in a fresh southerly, reported to force 6. Shelter from S and SE only, fully exposed to the prevailing W to N quadrant. Watch the rising tide: the cliff base uncovers wide flats at low water and dries extensively. No lit marks, so approach by daylight. Lying closer inshore improves the shelter, but mind the draught over the drying foreshore. It is often used to wait for the tidal gate at Dives to open.

Practical

Anchor off in 3 to 6 metres at half tide, well clear of the drying foreshore. No services. Nearest refuges are Dives-Cabourg-Houlgate 2.3 NM SW and the marina at Deauville 5.6 NM NE.

Ashore

The cliffs are a recognised palaeontological site, known for Jurassic fossils eroding out of the marl. Coastal footpath GR223 runs along the clifftop between Villers-sur-Mer and Houlgate. Tender landing on the beach at low water is feasible in calm weather.