Mouillage

ZMEL Sainte-Catherine

3.8FranceLanguedoc-Roussillon

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Shelter: NW, N, W, SW
Seabed: sand, rock, algae
Anchoring: Forbidden

Buoy field of 28 moorings in the anse Sainte-Catherine, south of Port-Vendres on the Côte Vermeille.

Mooring buoys
Visitor buoys
Seagrass

Guide

Approach and anchoring

A field of 18 white buoys for pleasure craft and 10 red for dive boats, free of charge; anchoring is prohibited all year to protect the seabed of sand, rock and posidonia. Buoys are sized by boat length, so check the plan for each one's limit; mooring is nominally capped at four hours but overnight is allowed and rafting is permitted. Sheltered from NW, N, W and SW, exposed to easterly swell, and the wash of passing motorboats rolls the field even in light wind. Port-Vendres 1.3 nm W, Banyuls-sur-Mer 1.9 nm S for shelter.

Practical

The buoys fill fast in summer: locals take them from about 08:30, so arrive early in the morning or in the evening, or expect to circle waiting for one to free up. Buoys have an easy vertical sliding pick-up. No services on site.

Ashore

The anse sits at the foot of the Cap Bear lighthouse, its clear water rich in fish, urchins and starfish for snorkelling, with a small gravel beach reachable by a short swim. Coastal path links the anse to Port-Vendres to the north and Banyuls to the south. Footpath inland to the Tour Madeloc, a thirteenth century watchtower at 652 m.