Mouillage

Île aux Oiseaux ouest

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Shelter: N, NE, E
Seabed: mud
Anchoring: Allowed

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.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach at half-flood or later since the whole west bank dries at low water. Follow the buoyed channels of the bassin, watch the strong tidal streams around the island, and sound carefully. The bottom is soft mud, holding is good once the anchor is set. Shelter from north through east.

Practical

No services at the anchorage. Le Canon on the Cap-Ferret shore lies 1.7 nm to the west, Port de la Vigne at Ferret 2.6 nm to the south-west. Both have pontoons and oyster-boat landings.

Ashore

The island itself is a nature site, with oyster farming concessions and the two wooden cabanes tchanquées built on stilts, the second one rebuilt in 1948 after a storm. Landing is allowed on marked paths only, no facilities on the island.

History

The cabane tchanquée number 53, the most photographed of the bay, was rebuilt in 1948 to replace the previous stilt cabin lost in a winter storm. The name tchanquée comes from the Gascon tchanques, meaning stilts.