Best anchorages and harbours in Opal Coast and Bay of Somme

port ouest

Roadstead anchorage off Port Ouest, the western industrial basin of Dunkerque, on the Flanders coast.

• Sheltered S

Base Nautique Arques Plaisance

Inland waterway halt at Arques, Pas-de-Calais, on the canal network near Saint-Omer and the Audomarois marshes.

Gravelines

Lock-gated marina of 430 berths at the mouth of the river Aa, on the Opal Coast between Dunkerque and Calais.

Dunkerque Marina

Marina of 250 berths on the eastern side of the port of Dunkerque, in the Hauts-de-France region of the Strait of Dover.

Saint Valery sur Somme

Tidal marina of 250 berths in the Somme estuary, Hauts-de-France, on the south bank of the baie de Somme.

Le Crotoy

Drying harbour on the north shore of the Somme estuary in Hauts-de-France, 110 berths, only 0.8 m of water available on average.

Wissant

Open sandy bay on the Opal Coast between Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez, Hauts-de-France. Sand bottom, protected from E and SE, fully exposed from W through NW.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Dunkirk Commercial Port

Third largest French seaport on the North Sea coast, in Hauts-de-France. Pleasure craft normally use the adjacent Dunkerque Marina and Yacht Club de la Mer du Nord rather than the commercial basins.

Yacht Club De La Mer Du Nord

Dunkirk marina with 250 berths, up to 5 m draught, adjacent to the commercial harbour. VHF 9.

Canche

Tidal anchorage in the Canche estuary between Le Touquet and Étaples, on the Côte d'Opale.

• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Calais

Marina of 418 berths inside the commercial port of Calais, on the Strait of Dover, the closest French harbour to England.

Port de plaisance d'Aire-sur-la-Lys

Inland marina of 46 berths on the Canal de Neufossé, in Aire-sur-la-Lys, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France.

Plage de Boulogne-sur-Mer

Open roadstead off the beach of Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Opale, about 1.3 nm north-west of the harbour entrance.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Etaples

Tidal marina of 240 berths on the Canche estuary, opposite Le Touquet, in the Pas-de-Calais.

Boulogne-Sur-Mer

Marina of 510 berths inside the largest fishing harbour of France, on the Opal Coast of the Pas-de-Calais.

Malo-les-Bains

Roadstead off the beach of Malo-les-Bains, east of Dunkirk, sand bottom, protected from S and SE winds. Exposed to the full fetch of the North Sea from N.

• Sheltered SE, S

Arrière-port calais

Buoy mooring field of 17 berths inside the old inner harbour of Calais, mud bottom, set between the ferry terminal and the Bassin Ouest.

• Paid
• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Dunkerque Bassin de la Marine

Inner basin of the port of Dunkerque in Hauts-de-France, located in the heart of the city alongside the Yacht Club de la Mer du Nord.

La Madelon

Small mooring site on the Authie estuary between Berck and Fort-Mahon-Plage, Hauts-de-France.

Public Pontoon "quais"

Public pontoon on the canalised river Aa at Watten, in the Hauts-de-France. A river stop for crews transiting between Gravelines and Saint-Omer.

Les Hemmes De Marck

Open anchorage off a long sand beach between Calais and Gravelines, on the Côte d'Opale in Hauts-de-France.

• Sheltered S, SE

Arques

River mooring on the canalised Aa at Arques, in the Audomarois, Hauts-de-France. Muddy bottom, sheltered from the NW through N and E to SE.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SE

Base Nautique Berck

Sailing base on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer on the Opal Coast, in Hauts-de-France.

Base nautique de Fort Mahon Plage

Beach-launching base on the Picardy coast at Fort-Mahon-Plage, used mainly for catamarans, dinghies and small motorboats.

Base Nautique Flandre Lys

River base on the canalised Lys between Merville and Aire-sur-la-Lys in the Nord department.

Club nautique Stellien

Beach sailing club on the sand at Stella-Plage, commune of Cucq, Côte d'Opale, between the Canche and the Authie estuaries.

Le Hourdel

Small drying harbour at the tip of the Pointe du Hourdel, on the south shore of the Somme estuary in Hauts-de-France. About 75 berths.

Port watten

Inland port on the river Aa at Watten, in the Nord department, on the link between the canal de Neufossé and the Aa channel to the sea at Gravelines.