Anchorage

La Gracieuse

4.2FranceMarseille and the Calanques

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Shelter: NW, W
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Sand-spit anchorage on the east side of the Golfe de Fos, at the tip of the Gracieuse sand bar, sand bottom.

Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south across the Golfe de Fos, keeping well clear of the buoyed commercial fairway to Fos-sur-Mer. Anchor in 3 to 6 metres on sand along the inner side of the spit, holding good, though the water shoals fast towards the beach so drop in about 3 metres to swim ashore. Sheltered from NW and W, open to the E and SE where the sirocco and levant build a short sea. The mistral makes the anchorage untenable, and a persistent breeze with refinery smells off the Fos and Berre works can spoil a night here.

Practical

No services on site. Port-de-Bouc and Port Olga, 2.7 nm NW, are the nearest marinas with fuel, water and capitainerie. Carteau, 2.8 nm NW, has a small oyster-farming harbour and tender landing.

Ashore

The Gracieuse is a 7 km sand spit closing the Golfe de Fos, part of the Camargue regional natural park at its eastern edge. Birdwatching on the lagoons inside the spit, flamingos and terns in the breeding season. Carteau oyster beds, the main production site of the Étang de Berre basin, can be visited with several producers selling direct on the quay.