Port

Île du Frioul

3.8Marseille, FranceMarseille and the Calanques

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Maximum length: 55 ft
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 36 ft

Marina of 800 berths on the Frioul archipelago, built in the strait between Pomègues and Ratonneau, 2.5 nautical miles off Marseille.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Entrance from the east through a wide buoyed channel between the two islands. Max draught 11 m at the outer pontoons. Mooring is stern-to the quay after picking up a floating bow buoy that sits well off the jetty, so rig a mooring line of at least 15 m; assistance from the marineros is not always on hand, so be ready to manage alone. A high wall gives excellent shelter from the mistral, but easterlies close the entrance in heavy weather. VHF 9.

Practical

800 berths, water and electricity on the pontoons, no fuel berth. Around 46 to 52 euros a night for a monohull, more for a catamaran. The harbour office closes about 18:00 in summer; boats can moor unassisted and settle the next morning or by email. Sanitary facilities are dated and limited, few showers and no washbasins, and a sewage smell sometimes reaches the reception pontoon. A small grocery carries basics and bread delivered each morning, with a washing machine in the block; no pharmacy on the island. Frioul If Express ferries reach the Old Port of Marseille in 20 minutes.

Ashore

Château d'If on the neighbouring islet, a 16th century fortress built under François I and setting of Alexandre Dumas' novel, 15 minutes by ferry. Marked paths cross Ratonneau and Pomègues to the old quarantine hospital of Caroline and the southern batteries. Swimming coves at Saint-Estève and Morgiret within 20 minutes on foot.

History

The archipelago served as a quarantine station for ships arriving in Marseille from the 18th century onward. The hôpital Caroline on Ratonneau, built from 1823, received travellers suspected of yellow fever. The islands were fortified again by the German army during World War II, leaving bunkers still visible.