Harbour

La Flotte en Ré

4.9La flotte en ré, FranceCharente-Maritime

Maximum length: 12 m
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 1.2 m

Drying harbour on the north coast of Île de Ré in Charente-Maritime, with a retention gate keeping about 200 pontoon berths afloat.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the Pertuis Breton with the cardinal beacons marking the entry channel. Harbour dries at low water outside the retention basin, entry gate stays open from HW minus 2 h to HW plus 2 h. Current runs hard across the entrance on the ebb. VHF 9. Max draught 1.2 m at the berths.

Practical

Around 200 places on floating pontoons inside the retention basin, visitor berths on the outer pontoon. Water and electricity. Showers and capitainerie on the quay. Shops, bakery and restaurants on the arcaded quayside. Market every morning in the covered Halle.

Ashore

Covered market in the 19th century wooden Halle at 50 m, open every morning. Abbaye des Châteliers Cistercian ruins at 1.5 km along the coast path. Saint-Martin-de-Ré fortifications by Vauban, listed UNESCO, at 4 km by bike along the cycle path.

History

La Flotte is documented from the 12th century and was a trading port linked to the Cistercian Abbaye des Châteliers, founded in 1156 just east of the village. The stone-arcaded quays date from the 17th and 18th centuries.