Anchorage

Cale De Vielle Roche

Shelter: N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE
Seabed: mud
Anchoring: Forbidden

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

Mooring buoys
Pontoon

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Enter the Vilaine via the Arzal lock, which separates the tidal estuary from the freshwater reach. Once upstream of the dam, the river runs without tide. Follow the marked channel to the buoy field at Vieille Roche. Mud bottom, good holding, sheltered from N through SE and from W through S.

Practical

Pick up a buoy, no anchoring in the buoy field. Capitainerie and services at Port d'Arzal-Camoël, 0.4 NM south-east. Diesel, water, electricity and chandlery at the marina. Ponton Aval, 0.2 NM north, offers pontoon berths if buoys are full.

Ashore

Barrage d'Arzal with its lock and road crossing, 0.5 km walk. Footpath along the Vilaine towards La Roche-Bernard, a medieval river town 7 km upstream with restaurants and the Musée de la Vilaine Maritime.

History

The Arzal dam was opened in 1970 to halt tidal flow and secure drinking water for the Morbihan region. It turned the lower Vilaine into a freshwater basin used by plaisanciers as a winter base.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 47.49957, -2.38707 (47°29.97'N 2°23.22'W)
Country: France
Shelter: Sheltered from north, north-east, west, east, south-west, south, south-east winds
Seabed: mud
Anchoring: Forbidden
Services: Mooring buoys, Pontoon
Boaters' rating: 2.7/5
Updated: July 7, 2026