Anchorage

Port Saint-Julien

3.5FranceMorbihan

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Shelter: W, SW
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Sand bottom anchorage on the east coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer in Brittany, sheltered from W and SW winds.

Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the north through the channel between Belle-Île and Houat, paying attention to the strong tidal streams across the Passage de la Teignouse. The bay is open to the east, so clear out if the forecast turns easterly. SHOM chart 7143 covers the coast.

Practical

No services at the mooring. Le Palais harbour is 0.7 NM south with all commerces, fuel berth, water and 460 berths behind the locked basin of the Citadelle. Sauzon 2.7 NM west offers visitor pontoons in a drying harbour.

Ashore

Citadelle Vauban of Le Palais, built from 1683, dominates the harbour entrance 1 km south with a museum inside the fortifications. Coastal path GR 340 passes above the anchorage and reaches the Pointe de Taillefer in 45 minutes on foot. Plage des Grands Sables, the largest beach on the island, lies 2 km south along the path.

History

Belle-Île-en-Mer was fortified under Louis XIV by Vauban and held by the British for two years after the 1761 siege, before being exchanged for Menorca at the Treaty of Paris in 1763.