Harbour

Giffaumont Champaubert

Name: Giffaumont Champaubert
Address: Guiffaumont-Champaubert, FR
Telephone: +33326728123

3.8Guiffaumont-Champaubert, France

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Type: Harbour

Main marina of the Lac du Der-Chantecoq, on the southern shore of the largest artificial lake in France, in the Marne.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Lake reservoir fed by the Marne, surface 4 800 hectares at full pool. Harbour entrance protected by a 2 hectare island that breaks the dominant westerlies. Water level drops sharply from autumn as the reservoir releases water towards Paris, so sailing season runs roughly April to October. No tide, no salt.

Practical

400 berths on equipped pontoons. Fuel pump, slipways and travel lift for sailing and motor boats. Yachtsmen are handled by the Club Nautique du Der for sail and the Club de ski et motonautisme for powerboats. Shops, bakery and restaurants in the village at the port.

Ashore

Église de Champaubert-aux-Bois stands alone on the shore, the only vestige of a village flooded when the reservoir was built in 1974. Maison de l'Oiseau et du Poisson 300 m from the port covers the lake fauna. The Lac du Der is a major stop on the crane migration route, peak counts over 200 000 birds in late autumn.

History

The Lac du Der-Chantecoq was impounded in 1974 to regulate the Marne and protect Paris from floods. Three villages, Champaubert-aux-Bois, Chantecoq and Nuisement-aux-Bois, were emptied and submerged. Some half-timbered houses from Nuisement were rebuilt on site at the Village-musée du Der.