Harbour

Rochefort

Maximum length: 65 ft
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 8 ft

Marina of 320 berths in the Bassin 1 of the former royal arsenal of Rochefort, on the Charente river.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Enter the Charente estuary at Fouras and follow the buoyed channel 12 nm upriver; the run from Île d'Aix takes about two hours, so carry the flood as the stream runs 3 to 4 knots, keep mid-river and watch for floating branches after high water. The wet basin is reached through a lock that opens about 15 minutes after HW La Rochelle for a short window that lengthens with the coefficient and will not open on very low coefficients, out of season only once a day, with priority to outbound boats. The waiting pontoon outside the lock dries and the current is strong, so arrive at slack high water. The lock is about 7.6 m wide, so wide multihulls may not fit. Max draught 2.5 m. VHF 9.

Practical

320 berths on pontoons. Water, electricity, showers. The harbour is crowded with many project boats, so give the beam when booking and expect to raft. Bassin 1 is reached by ladders only, while Bassin 2 has gangways and is quieter during the summer music festivals. The sanitary facilities are dated but have hot water. Boatyard and 35 t travel-lift, with well-equipped winter storage on the hard that is popular, and de-masting done with the travel-lift crane. Full town services within 400 m. Train station with a direct line to Paris at 800 m.

Ashore

Corderie Royale of Louis XIV, 374 m long, at 300 m from the basin. Hermione frigate replica, rebuilt on site between 1997 and 2014, visible at the Arsenal. A covered market runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with oysters and fish, and the Ripaille rooftop bar overlooks the harbour. Musée National de la Marine at 500 m. Pont transbordeur of Martrou, built in 1900 and still in service, at 3 km.

History

Rochefort was founded in 1666 by Colbert as a royal naval arsenal for Louis XIV. The arsenal built warships until 1927. La Fayette sailed from Rochefort aboard the Hermione in 1780 to join the American Revolution.