Best anchorages and harbours in Atlantic coast

L'Herbaudière

Fishing and yachting harbour of 600 berths on the north-western tip of Noirmoutier, first deepwater shelter south of the Loire estuary.

St Hilaire

Shallow quay on the Vie river at Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in Vendée, with 6 berths and 0.4 m max draught.

Anse de Fouras

Anchorage off Fouras on the Charente-Maritime coast, opposite the Île d'Aix, in the Pertuis d'Antioche.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, W

Anse des Vieilles

Sandy cove on the south coast of Île d'Yeu, 2.5 nm SE of Port-Joinville.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Baie du Dervin

Sandy bay between Le Croisic and Le Pouliguen on the south Brittany coast, sheltered from the northerly quadrant, open to the south.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Marennes

Tidal lock marina of 160 berths in Marennes, on the Seudre estuary in Charente-Maritime.

Baie de Cayola

Rocky bay on the Vendée coast between Les Sables-d'Olonne and Port-Bourgenay, 1.9 nm NW of Port-Bourgenay.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Plage De Gatseau

Buoy mooring off the plage de Gatseau at the southern tip of the île d'Oléron, 3 buoys available.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, W

Club Nautique Taussat-Cassy

Small harbour on the east shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, at Taussat-les-Bains in the commune of Lanton, Gironde.

Banc des Portes

Sand bank anchorage inside the Fier d'Ars, the tidal lagoon on the north-west corner of Île de Ré, sheltered from NW through S.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Phare de Cordouan

Anchorage off the Cordouan lighthouse, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary in New Aquitaine. Sand bottom, shelter from NW only.

• Sheltered NW

Baie Talmont

Anchorage in the Gironde estuary off Talmont-sur-Gironde, Charente-Maritime, under the cliffs that carry the Romanesque church of Sainte-Radegonde.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

L’Épine

Anchorage off the village of L'Épine on the west coast of Île de Noirmoutier, Pays de la Loire.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Bourg sur Gironde

River port of 45 berths on the right bank of the Dordogne, about 1 nm upstream of the Bec d'Ambès where the Dordogne and Garonne meet to form the Gironde estuary.

Pointe de Coudepont

Mud-bottom anchorage off the northern tip of Île d'Aix, in the Pertuis d'Antioche between La Rochelle and the Charente estuary.

• Free
• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Port du Collet

Tidal harbour at the northern edge of Baie de Bourgneuf, on the Loire-Atlantique coast facing Noirmoutier.

Port Médoc

Marina at Le Verdon-sur-Mer on the left bank of the Gironde estuary mouth, 950 berths, max draught 3 m, VHF 9.

Mouillage de Charron

Tidal anchorage off the mudflats of Charron, north of La Rochelle at the mouth of the Sèvre Niortaise in Charente-Maritime.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Le Grand Traict

Tidal lagoon north of Le Croisic and Guérande, on the south coast of Brittany, used as a waiting anchorage by shoal-draught boats.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

La Faute sur Mer

Tidal harbour on the left bank of the Lay estuary, in Vendée, opposite L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer across the river mouth.

Pornichet

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

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SW, S, SE

Jetée Des Ileaux

Anchorage off the east coast of Noirmoutier island, in the bay between the jetty and the Gois causeway, on mud.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Les Portes de l'Atlantique - Port à Sec

Dry-stack marina on the south bank of the Loire estuary at Le Migron, commune of Frossay, between Paimbœuf and Nantes.

Préfailles

Open anchorage off Préfailles on the Pointe Saint-Gildas, south side of the Loire estuary in Pays de la Loire.

• Sheltered N, NE

Tonnay-Charente

Former commercial river port on the right bank of the Charente, 4 km upstream of Rochefort in New Aquitaine.

Plage des Dames

Anchorage of around 53 places off the Plage des Dames on the north-east shore of the Île de Noirmoutier.

• Paid
• Sheltered S, SW, W

Rade De L'île D'Aix

Open roadstead east of the Île d'Aix in the Pertuis d'Antioche, between Fouras and Oléron, with sand and mud holding.

Zone De La Sableyre

Anchoring zone on the east side of the bassin d'Arcachon, off Taussat and Cassy.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Haut Pyla

Anchorage at the foot of the Dune du Pilat, the tallest sand dune in Europe at 102 m, southern entrance of the Bassin d'Arcachon.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Audenge

Small drying harbour on the north-east shore of Bassin d'Arcachon, in the commune of Audenge.