Anchorage

Petit-Rouveau

3.7FranceVar

Shelter: S, SW
Seabed: sand, algae, rock
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage between the islets of Petit Rouveau and Grand Rouveau in the Embiez archipelago, off Six-Fours-les-Plages in the Var.

Water
Pontoon
Beach
Seagrass

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the NE through the pass between the Embiez and the Rouveau islets, watching for rocky heads on either side. Sand patches are now few as the Posidonia has spread, so use a seabed-finder app, drop on the clear sand in 6 to 10 metres and note that a few concrete blocks on the bottom can foul an anchor. Sheltered from S and SW, more open to N and NE. Busy and rolly by day from the Brusc traffic passing close, much quieter at night.

Practical

No services on the anchorage. Port de Saint-Pierre des Embiez 0.2 nm to the S takes dinghies on request by VHF and has water, diesel at a fuel berth open to catamarans, a Casino mini-market, an AD chandlery and a bakery. Port du Brusc 1 nm to the SE for a wider choice of shops on the mainland.

Ashore

Grand Rouveau carries a lighthouse built in 1861, still active and visible from the anchorage. The Embiez, bought by Paul Ricard in 1958, host a marine biology institute founded by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the Fondation Paul Ricard. Walking loops on Saint-Martin cover 4 km around the main island.