Mouillage

Plage de Pampelonne

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Shelter: SW, W, NW
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Open anchorage off a 4.5 km sandy beach on the south-east side of the Saint-Tropez peninsula, between Cap du Pinet and Cap Camarat.

Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the east in open water, no off-lying dangers. Drop the hook on sand in 4 to 8 metres, well clear of the bathing zone marked by yellow buoys from June to September. Holding is good in sand. Shelter from SW, W and NW winds behind the peninsula; fully exposed from NE to SE, in which case shift 3.5 NM NW to Port du Pilon or 3.6 NM NW to Saint-Tropez. The bay funnels the wind but stays free of waves in the west sector. By day the wash of passing motorboats sets up a persistent roll, so anchor as far south as possible and lay a second anchor to hold the bow into the swell; it calms once the day boats leave.

Practical

No services at the mooring. Landing a tender on the beach is restricted, with beaching generally not allowed before evening and police fines reported, so get ashore on the beach clubs shuttle RIBs, flagged down from the water. Clubs such as Club 55, Nikki Beach and Le Bagatelle keep moorings for their own tenders and play loud music into the early hours, though it eases in the corners once the crowds thin. Ramatuelle village sits 3 km inland with bakeries, grocery and restaurants, and a Super U is about a 30-minute walk through the vineyards from the south end of the beach.

Ashore

Sentier du littoral coastal footpath runs the full length of the beach and climbs to the Cap Camarat lighthouse 2 km south, the second highest lighthouse in France at 129 m above sea level. Ramatuelle hilltop village at 3 km by road, weekly market on Thursday and Sunday mornings.

History

On 15 August 1944 the beach was one of the main landing points of Operation Dragoon, the Allied landing in Provence. Units of the US 3rd Infantry Division came ashore on what was then code-named Red Beach.