Anchorage

Pont L'Abbé

Shelter: N, S
Seabed: mud
Anchoring: Forbidden

Mooring on buoy in the Pont-l'Abbé river, south Finistère, on the Pays Bigouden coast.

Mooring buoys

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach via the Pont-l'Abbé ria from the Anse de Loctudy. The channel is marked and dries in its upper part, so entry is done around high water. Mud bottom, shelter from N and S winds, exposure to E and W swell funnelled by the estuary. Concrete blocks lie on the bottom in the middle below the moorings and are best kept clear of. Boats drying alongside the quay heel towards the channel, as the bed slopes to the river, so rig a line to the mast to hold upright at low water.

Practical

Moorings and quay berths are managed by the town hall, contact the secretary for a place, available year round. A water and electricity point stands near the right-bank bridge, otherwise facilities are limited to the old quays. Loctudy marina lies 2.4 NM SE with fuel, water and a capitainerie for anything more. Les Glénans sailing base is also 2.4 NM SE.

Ashore

Town of Pont-l'Abbé at the head of the ria, capital of the Pays Bigouden, with the Musee Bigouden in the old chateau and the Notre-Dame-des-Carmes church from the 14th century. Bakery, shops and pubs a short walk from the quays, and a Wednesday morning market on place Gambetta. Quimper is about 30 minutes away by bus.

History

Pont-l'Abbé takes its name from a bridge built by the monks of Loctudy abbey in the Middle Ages. The town was the seat of the barony of Pont and became a centre of Breton embroidery in the 19th century.