Anchorage

Port Goulphar

Shelter: N, NE, E, NW
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Narrow rocky inlet on the south coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, below the cliffs of Bangor, on the Côte Sauvage.

Mooring buoys
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south clear of the Aiguilles de Port-Coton, the rock stacks 500 m to the west. The inlet is narrow, with limited room for larger boats, and a westerly swell works in as well as the southerly. Sheltered from N, NE, E and NW, exposed to southerly swell that builds fast in fresh S or SW winds. Anchor in the outer part in around 15 m on sand and gravel; the head shoals to 4 to 7 m and holds a few free mooring buoys. Keep swinging room off the rocks.

Practical

No facilities. Day anchorage only, to be left before any southerly weather. Nearest harbours are Sauzon, 4.2 nm N, and Le Palais, 4.2 nm NE.

Ashore

The coastal path GR 340 passes just above the inlet. The Castel Clara hotel restaurant stands right above the anchorage, and a bar, restaurant and grocery at Kervilahouen stay open all year. Bangor village lies about 2 km inland. The Aiguilles de Port-Coton, the rock stacks painted by Claude Monet in 1886, are a 15-minute walk along the clifftop.

History

Claude Monet stayed at Kervilahouen above Port Goulphar in September and October 1886 and produced around forty canvases of the Côte Sauvage, including several views of the Aiguilles de Port-Coton.