Anchorage

Môle des Noires

Shelter: NW, N, NE, W, E, SE
Seabed: sand, mud
Anchoring: Forbidden

Mooring buoys along the Mole des Noires breakwater at Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, at the entrance of the tidal basin.

Mooring buoys

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach through the balised channel into Saint-Malo. Strong tidal streams on the flood and ebb: plan the arrival around slack water or with the fair tide. The breakwater itself protects from NW to SE round by the north. Exposure remains open to the S and SW.

Practical

Buoy mooring only, no pontoon contact. Port des Sablons marina 0.3 NM SE for water, fuel, and full services. Port Vauban inside the walled city 0.4 NM NE gives locked access to the Bassin Vauban.

Ashore

Intra-muros walled city of Saint-Malo 400 m NE, rebuilt in granite after 1944 on its medieval plan, with the ramparts walk around the old town. Ferry terminal to Jersey and the Channel Islands at the Gare Maritime du Naye.

History

The Mole des Noires breakwater was built from 1837 onwards to protect the Saint-Malo roadstead and the approach to the old town. The wall and the lighthouse at its tip were heavily damaged in August 1944 and rebuilt after the war.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 48.64335, -2.02927 (48°38.60'N 2°1.76'W)
Country: France
Shelter: Sheltered from north-west, north, north-east, west, east, south-east winds
Seabed: sand, mud
Anchoring: Forbidden
Services: Mooring buoys
Boaters' rating: 2.0/5
Updated: July 7, 2026