Anchorage

Route du Sel

4.0FranceVar

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

Anchorage along the western shore of the Giens tombolo between Hyères and the Giens peninsula, sand and weed bottom sheltered from N to E.

Beach
Seagrass

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south along the salt marshes of the Pesquiers. Mixed bottom of sand and posidonia, drop the anchor in sandy patches to spare the seagrass, protected under French law since 1988, in 3 to 5 m. Part of the area is charted as a Canadair water-scooping zone and is off limits, so anchor clear to the south of the marked limit, about 100 m off the beach. A sewer outfall runs out about 500 m to seaward off the north-west. Open to the Mistral from the W. Port de La Capte 1 NM E and Port Saint-Pierre 1.4 NM NE offer shelter.

Practical

No services at anchor. Crews land on the beach, where a bus stop nearby reaches the shops and the railway station. Water, fuel and chandlery at Port Saint-Pierre, the main Hyères marina with 1310 berths. La Capte village has restaurants and a small supermarket within 600 m of the shore.

Ashore

The Route du Sel is a 4 km road and cycle path crossing the Pesquiers salt marshes, closed to cars from October to March. Flamingos winter on the salins. Cycle path continues to the village of Giens, 5 km S, and to the fishing port of La Madrague, 6 km SW.