Anchorage

Pornichet

Shelter: N, NE, E, SW, S, SE
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Forbidden

Mooring field off Pornichet on the Baie de La Baule, Loire-Atlantique, at the western end of the Côte d'Amour.

Water
Mooring buoys
Pontoon
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south across the Baie de La Baule, keeping the Plateau du Four light well to the west on passage from Belle-Île or the south. No tidal constraint on the bay itself, but watch the rocks off the Pointe du Bé and the buoyed channel into the marina. VHF 9 for the harbour office.

Practical

Around 500 visitor buoys outside the marina basin. Sand bottom, good holding. Shelter from the N, NE and E. Exposed from SE through S to SW, untenable in an onshore blow. Water tap on the marina quay. Pornichet marina immediately to the west for full services, fuel and haul-out.

Ashore

Long sandy beach of the Baie de La Baule runs continuously to La Baule-Escoublac, over 9 km. Shops, bakery and supermarket along Avenue du Général de Gaulle within 300 m of the marina. Racecourse of Pornichet Côte d'Amour 1,5 km inland, flat meetings from spring to autumn.

History

Pornichet grew from a salt-workers' village in the 19th century after the railway reached the coast in 1879, and separated from Saint-Nazaire as a commune in 1900. The marina opened in 1972 and is one of the largest on the French Atlantic seaboard.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 47.26056, -2.34490 (47°15.63'N 2°20.69'W)
Country: France
Shelter: Sheltered from north, north-east, east, south-west, south, south-east winds
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Forbidden
Maximum length: 10 m
Fees: Paid
VHF channel: 9
Phone: +33 2 40 61 61 06
Services: Water, Mooring buoys, Pontoon, Beach
Boaters' rating: 3.0/5
Updated: July 7, 2026