Best anchorages and harbours in Atlantic coast

Bordeaux quai d’attente du Basin

Waiting quay on the Garonne in Bordeaux, used by yachts before entering the lock of the Bassins à flot.

Port Bourgenay

Purpose-built marina of 640 berths on the Vendee coast, south of Les Sables-d'Olonne, at the edge of Talmont-Saint-Hilaire.

Halte nautique de Blaye

Pontoon halt on the right bank of the Gironde estuary at the foot of the Citadelle de Blaye, a Vauban fortification inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Les Evens

Open anchorage on sand off the Côte d'Amour between Pornichet and La Baule, Loire-Atlantique.

La Palmyre

Sand anchorage off La Palmyre beach on the north shore of the Gironde estuary entrance, Charente-Maritime.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Loire Nautic Services

Boatyard and pontoon on the right bank of the Loire at Cordemais, 20 NM upstream from Saint-Nazaire.

Noirmoutier-en-L'île

Lock harbour on the east side of Noirmoutier island, at the head of the Étier de l'Arceau, 2 NM south of L'Herbaudière.

Port d’Envaux

River port on the Charente at Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud, between Taillebourg and Saintes in New Aquitaine.

Rochefort

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

Rade de l'île d'aix

Large anchorage on mud between the Île d'Aix and the Fort Boyard, in the Pertuis d'Antioche off the Charente-Maritime coast.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Baie de Gatseau

Sand anchorage off the Pointe de Gatseau, at the southern tip of Ile d'Oleron.

• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Moutéou

Small freshwater marina on Lake Parentis-Biscarrosse, on the commune of Parentis-en-Born in the Landes.

Pornichet

Open roadstead anchorage off the beach of Pornichet, at the western end of the baie de La Baule, southern Brittany coast.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Le Douhet

Marina of 300 berths on the north-east coast of the Île d'Oléron, near Saint-Georges-d'Oléron.

Le Mimbeau

Sand spit anchorage at the northern tip of the Cap Ferret peninsula, inside the Bassin d'Arcachon in Gironde, drying at low water.

• Free
• Sheltered E, SE, SW, W

Plage de l'Arnérault

Sand-bottom anchorage off the north coast of the Île de Ré, just east of La Flotte.

• Free
• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Luzeronde

Anchorage off the sand beach of Luzéronde on the north coast of the Île de Noirmoutier, west of L'Herbaudière.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Rade du Croisic

Outer roadstead east of the Le Croisic peninsula in Loire-Atlantique, used as a waiting anchorage off the entrance to the Traict.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Port du Bétey

Tidal harbour of 151 berths on the north-east shore of Arcachon Bay, at Andernos-les-Bains.

La Turballe

Fishing and leisure harbour of 329 berths on the Guérande peninsula, between Le Croisic and Piriac-sur-Mer, first sardine port of France.

Saint-Martin-de-Ré

Tidal port on the north coast of the Île de Ré in Charente-Maritime, inside the star-shaped Vauban fortifications.

Halte nautique

River halt on the Loire in Pays de la Loire, about 5 NM downstream of Oudon. VHF 10.

Pornic

Marina of 914 berths at Pornic in southern Loire-Atlantique, split between the Vieux Port under the castle and the Noëveillard basin on the Côte de Jade.

Port de la Vigne

Small tidal oyster-farmers harbour on the Cap Ferret peninsula, Bassin d'Arcachon, Gironde.

Pauillac

Drying river marina of 125 berths on the west bank of the Gironde estuary, at Pauillac in the Médoc, about 30 nautical miles upstream from Royan, where boats take the ground at low water.

La Baule - Le Pouliguen

Tidal harbour at the mouth of the étier du Pouliguen between La Baule and Le Pouliguen in southern Brittany, 820 berths.

Royan

Large marina on the right bank of the Gironde estuary mouth, 1000 berths, max draught 2.5 m, VHF 9.

Grande Conche

Open anchorage off the Grande Conche beach east of Royan, on the northern shore of the Gironde estuary.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Le Croisic

Drying town harbour of 500 berths at the end of a narrow tidal ria on the Guérande peninsula, where visitors take the ground on soft mud or lie on buoys in the pool, with an active fishing fleet and a bottlenose dolphin research station on the quay.

Conche de Saint-Georges

Anchorage in the bay north of the Gironde estuary mouth off Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, sand bottom, sheltered from N, NE, E and SE.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE