Best anchorages and harbours in Atlantic coast

Mouillage près du port d’Arzal

Anchorage on the Vilaine river, just downstream of the Arzal-Camoël dam and lock at the head of the Vilaine estuary in Morbihan.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Plage de la Chambrette

Anchorage off the sandy Chambrette beach at the tip of the Médoc peninsula, inside the Gironde estuary mouth near Le Verdon-sur-Mer.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Entree Port De Jard Sur Mer

Anchorage off the entrance to Jard-sur-Mer harbour, southern Vendée coast, sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Boucau near Bayonne

Estuary area at the mouth of the Adour between Boucau and Anglet, near Bayonne. Anchoring is prohibited in the navigable channel used by commercial traffic.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SE

Ile Verte

Anchorage in the Gironde estuary off the Île Verte, a wooded island on the right bank between Blaye and Bourg, about 35 NM upstream from Royan.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SW, W

Pointe de Hautebelle

Anchorage on the north shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, between Claouey and Andernos-les-Bains, mud bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Île du Pilier Nord

Anchorage on the north side of Île du Pilier, a small rocky island off Noirmoutier, 2.7 NM west of L'Herbaudière.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Cale De Vielle Roche

Mooring buoys on the Vilaine estuary just upstream of the Arzal dam, mud bottom with shelter on most points of the compass.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Maubuisson

Anchorage on the east shore of Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, the largest natural freshwater lake in France, in the Médoc.

• Free
• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Île de Patiras

Estuary anchorage in New Aquitaine, 0.9 nm W of Port de la Belle Étoile, mud bottom, sheltered from the south.

• Sheltered S

la Pointe aux chevaux

Anchorage on the western shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon between Claouey and Le Canon, on the Cap-Ferret peninsula, sand bottom, sheltered from N, W and NW winds.

• Sheltered N, W, NW

Roches du repos

Rock anchorage off the Vendée coast, south of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, open to the Atlantic swell.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E

Port-des-Barques

Mooring on buoys off Port-des-Barques in the Charente estuary, Charente-Maritime, 4 berths on sand.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SW, S, SE

Châtelaillon - Plage

Anchorage off Châtelaillon-Plage on the Pertuis d'Antioche, south of La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Lac d'Hourtin - Piqueyrot

Sand-bottom anchorage on the eastern shore of the lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, Gironde, the largest natural freshwater lake in France at around 6,200 hectares.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Pointe de Manson

Buoy mooring with 2 berths off the Pointe de Manson on Île d'Oléron, sand bottom, sheltered from W through SW, open to the E across the Pertuis de Maumusson.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Fouras - La Fumée

Anchorage off the Pointe de la Fumée at Fouras, Charente estuary, facing the Île d'Aix and the approaches to Rochefort.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Damgan plage

Visitor buoys off the plage de Damgan in the Morbihan, south Brittany, on mud holding.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Vert Bois

Anchorage on the west coast of the Île d'Oléron, off the Vert Bois beach and the Saint-Trojan forest, Charente-Maritime.

• Sheltered NE, E

Merquel

Small buoy field off the Pointe de Merquel at Mesquer, Loire-Atlantique, north of the Traict de Mesquer salt marshes.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Pointe du Tedey

Anchorage on the western shore of Lac de Lacanau in the Médoc, about 1.6 nm west of Lacanau-Ville.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Anse de la Coué

Small anchorage on the south side of the Fouras peninsula, Charente-Maritime, tucked beside Fouras Port Sud.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E

Halte nautique de Libourne

River halt on the Dordogne at the confluence with the Isle, on the Libourne town quay, mud bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, E, SE, S, NW

Plage Sud

Open roadstead off Mimizan-Plage on the Landes coast, south of the Arcachon basin, sand bottom.

Anse de la Chambrette

Anchorage on the Médoc bank of the Gironde estuary, just south of the Pointe de Grave, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Ronce-les-Bains

Mooring field of 177 buoys on sand off Ronce-les-Bains, at the south entrance of the Seudre estuary facing Île d'Oléron.

• Paid
• Sheltered SE, S

Domaine de Vallier

Buoy mooring on the Dordogne river in the Gironde estuary area, sand bottom, used as a tidal stop on the way up to Libourne or Bordeaux.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Mouillage au large de Piriac-sur-Mer

Sand anchorage off Piriac-sur-Mer on the Guérande peninsula, southern Brittany approaches.

• Sheltered E, SE

Lanséria

Buoy mooring field off the coast near Kercabellec, northern entrance of the Traict de Mesquer, Loire-Atlantique.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Anse des Seulières

Anchorage on the north-west coast of the Île d'Oléron, Charente-Maritime, between Saint-Denis-d'Oléron and Le Douhet.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE