Anchorage

Le Gois échouage

Shelter: NW, W, SW
Seabed: mud
Anchoring: Allowed

Drying anchorage on mud in the Baie de Bourgneuf along the Passage du Gois, the tidal causeway linking Noirmoutier to the mainland, in the Pays de la Loire.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

The zone dries extensively at low water. Approach on a rising tide and check the Gois timetable before committing, since the 4.125 km causeway is submerged by 1.3 to 4 m twice a day. Shelter from NW to SW winds, open to the north and east.

Practical

No facilities on the mud flats. Fromentine marina lies 2.3 NM to the south for fuel, water and shops, and Le Pont Neuf is 3 NM to the SE.

Ashore

Nine rescue poles spaced along the causeway mark the route for walkers caught by the flood tide. The village of Beauvoir-sur-Mer, 3 km from the mainland end, has bakeries and an Intermarché. The Gois has hosted a stage of the Tour de France several times, most recently in 2018 and 2025.

History

The Passage du Gois has been crossed on foot since at least the 16th century and by cart from the 18th century. It was the only land link to Noirmoutier until the 1971 bridge opened between Fromentine and Barbâtre.