Mouillage

Fort d'ambleteuse

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Shelter: NE, E, SE
Seabed: sand, rock
Anchoring: Allowed

Open roadstead on the Opal Coast in Hauts-de-France, off the village of Ambleteuse at the mouth of the river Slack, 5 nm N of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Strong tidal streams run parallel to the coast, up to 3 knots at springs. Large rocky banks flank the fort, so anchor on a sandy patch just to one side of it and check holding. Anchor in 3 to 5 metres at low water. Shelter from NE, E and SE only, open to the prevailing W and SW. Short and steep sea builds very quickly, daytime fair-weather use only. Boulogne-sur-Mer is the all-weather refuge 5 nm south.

Ashore

Land the tender high up the beach. The village has shops within walking distance. Fort Mahon of Ambleteuse stands on a rocky outcrop reached on foot at low water, built from 1680 on plans by Vauban to protect the roadstead. Musée 39-45 in the village covers the German occupation and the Atlantic Wall. Coastal path GR120 runs along the cliffs north to Cap Gris-Nez, 6 km away.

History

Ambleteuse was the assembly point of the Boulogne flotilla between 1803 and 1805, where Napoleon gathered more than 2,000 landing craft and 150,000 men for a planned invasion of England that never sailed.