Best anchorages and harbours in Atlantic coast

Club Nautique de Claouey

Association harbour on the west shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, at the village of Claouey on the Cap-Ferret peninsula.

Club Nautique Rochefortais

River anchorage on the Charente upstream of Soubise, off the Club Nautique Rochefortais, between Rochefort and the estuary.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Conche Madame

Anchorage on the west coast of the Île d'Oléron in Charente-Maritime, on the Atlantic side between Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron and Saint-Denis.

• Sheltered NE, E

Corps de garde

Small tidal harbour in the Baie de l'Aiguillon, on the channel leading from the Pertuis Breton to Marans in Charente-Maritime.

Côte des Basques

Open anchorage off the Côte des Basques beach in Biarritz, Basque coast.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Couëron

River harbour of 36 berths on the right bank of the Loire, 15 km downstream from Nantes.

Craste De liboy

Anchorage on the Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet, on the west shore near Navarrosse, Landes.

• Sheltered E, S, SE

Criée du Croisic

Working fish auction quay on the north side of the Le Croisic harbour channel, in southern Brittany.

Cubzac-les-Ponts

River halt on the right bank of the Dordogne, in Cubzac-les-Ponts, Gironde, just downstream of the Eiffel rail bridge.

Euronat

Open anchorage off the Euronat beach on the Médoc Atlantic coast, north of the Gironde estuary mouth.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Fort Boyard

Stone sea fort between the Île d'Aix and the Île d'Oléron, in the Pertuis d'Antioche off the Charente-Maritime coast. Anchoring and approach within 50 m of the walls are prohibited.

Fouras - Port Sud

Tidal harbour of 60 berths on the south shore of the Fouras peninsula, Charente-Maritime, facing the Île d'Aix and the Fort Boyard roadstead.

Fromentine

Tidal harbour at La Barre-de-Monts, at the northern entrance of the Goulet de Fromentine, opposite the Noirmoutier bridge.

Gamoterie

Small river harbour on the Erdre at Sucé-sur-Erdre, about 15 km north of Nantes in Pays de la Loire.

Gandonnière

Small riverside port on the Erdre at La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, roughly 10 km upstream from Nantes.

Générelles

Isolated buoy mooring off the Pointe de Grouin du Cou coast in Vendée, west of the Aiguillon bay, Pays de la Loire.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Île aux Oiseaux ouest

Mud anchorage on the west side of the Île aux Oiseaux, a low tidal island at the centre of the bassin d'Arcachon, known for its two stilt-mounted cabins, the cabanes tchanquées.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Île de la Grenouillette

Anchorage on the Charente river upstream of Rochefort, mud bottom, sheltered from NE, E and SE winds.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Île du Pilier

Sand anchorage off the Île du Pilier, a granite islet 2.7 NM northwest of L'Herbaudière on Noirmoutier, Vendée.

• Sheltered SW, S

Jetée Thiers

Anchorage off the Jetée Thiers in the Bassin d'Arcachon, just west of the town of Arcachon.

L'Adour Dock

Pontoon on the right bank of the Adour at Sainte-Marie-de-Gosse, in the Landes, around PK 104 upstream from Bayonne.

L’aiguillon

Tidal harbour at La Teste-de-Buch on the Bassin d'Arcachon, used by oyster farmers and leisure boats, just south of Arcachon town.

L'Eguille

Tidal oyster-farming port on the Seudre estuary, commune of L'Eguille-sur-Seudre, Charente-Maritime, New Aquitaine.

L'Erdre

Anchorage on the Erdre river at Sucé-sur-Erdre, north of Nantes, mud bottom, sheltered from all sectors except south and east.

• Sheltered N, NE, SE, SW, W, NW

La Flotte

Buoy field off La Flotte-en-Ré on the north coast of Île de Ré, Charente-Maritime, sand bottom.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

La Gourgue

Lake anchorage on the Cazaux-Sanguinet lake in the Landes de Gascogne, weed bottom.

• Sheltered SW

La Grande Escoure

Lake anchorage on the Étang de Lacanau in the Médoc, mud bottom.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

La Grande Vallée

Buoy mooring area off the north-east coast of the Île de Ré, in the Pertuis Breton, opposite Rivedoux-Plage.

• Sheltered W, SW, S

La Hume

Drying harbour of 450 berths at Gujan-Mestras on the Bassin d'Arcachon, used by shallow-draught boats and flat-bottomed oyster skiffs.

La Nor

Anchorage in the baie de Bourgneuf, Pays de la Loire, mud bottom with good holding, open to westerly weather.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE