Best anchorages and harbours in Atlantic coast

La Gravette

Drying tidal harbour on the Jade coast at La Plaine-sur-Mer, at the northern entrance to the Bay of Bourgneuf.

mobilhome

Anchorage inside the Arcachon basin, on the west shore off the Cap Ferret peninsula, New Aquitaine.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Plage de la Petite Corniche

Anchorage off the south coast of the Île d'Yeu, Vendée, at the foot of the coastal path known as the Sentier de la Corniche.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW, S

Anse de Loubye

Shallow cove between Rivedoux-Plage and La Flotte on the north coast of Île de Ré, six mooring spots on sand.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N

Bègles

River marina of 40 berths on the left bank of the Garonne at Bègles, in the southern outskirts of Bordeaux.

Pornic

Anchorage in the bay of Pornic, Loire-Atlantique, off the Côte de Jade on the southern shore of the Loire estuary.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Mortagne sur Gironde

River port on the right bank of the Gironde estuary in Charente-Maritime, 15 nm upstream of Royan. Max draught 2 m in the basin.

Plage des Sableaux

Anchorage off the Plage des Sableaux on the east coast of Noirmoutier island, Vendée, 16 berths on sand.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Mouillage de l'Untxin

Anchorage in the Bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure, off the mouth of the Untxin river, sheltered by the Artha, Sainte-Barbe and Socoa breakwaters.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Plassac

River port of 40 berths on the right bank of the Gironde estuary at Plassac, in Gironde, New Aquitaine.

La Patache

Anchorage off the northwest tip of Île de Ré, near the hamlet of La Patache and the Phare des Baleines.

• Sheltered NW, N

Ostréïcole Andernos-les-Bains

Oyster-farming harbour on the north shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, at Andernos-les-Bains in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Cassy

Tidal harbour of 225 berths on the east shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, at Lanton, Gironde.

Port de Larros

Oyster-farming port at Gujan-Mestras on the southern shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, the main shellfish harbour of the basin.

Plage des Saumonards

Anchorage off the east coast of Île d'Oléron, behind the Forêt des Saumonards, facing Fort Boyard, Charente-Maritime.

• Sheltered W, SW, S

Paimboeuf

River port on the left bank of the Loire estuary, about 15 nautical miles downstream of Nantes and 10 miles upstream of Saint-Nazaire.

Plage du Gros Jonc

Open roadstead off the south-west coast of the Île de Ré in Charente-Maritime, facing the Pertuis d'Antioche.

• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Anse de Toulin

Sandy anchorage off the Côte d'Amour, just south of Le Pouliguen harbour entrance in the bay of La Baule.

• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Port de Loix

Tidal port in the salt marshes of Loix, Île de Ré, Charente-Maritime, 50 berths.

Anse de Trébézy

Anchorage on the north shore of the Loire estuary, west of Saint-Nazaire, mud bottom, sheltered from NW, N and W winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Anse de Ker Châlon

Sand anchorage on the north-east coast of the Île d'Yeu, 0.4 NM south-east of Port Joinville, close to the town and the Plage de Ker Châlon.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW, W

Pornichet

Marina of 1150 berths on the Baie de La Baule south of the Loire estuary, one of the largest marinas on the French Atlantic coast.

Banc du Tourlinguet

Sandbank at the entrance of Arcachon Bay, Gironde, where anchoring is prohibited by maritime regulation.

• Sheltered NW, N

Capbreton

Marina of 960 berths at the mouth of the Boudigau channel in the Landes, the only sheltered port on the 100 km sand coast between the Adour and the Arcachon inlet.

Baie du Pouliguen

Sand anchorage in the bay of La Baule, between Le Pouliguen to the W and Pornichet to the SE, on the Guerande peninsula.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Port de Gourmalon

Marina of 350 berths in Pornic on the south Brittany coast of Loire-Atlantique, on the north shore of the Baie de Bourgneuf.

La Cotinière

Fishing and leisure harbour on the west coast of the Île d'Oléron, Charente-Maritime. Fifth French Atlantic fishing port by tonnage landed.

Anse du Saillant

Mud-bottom anchorage on the east side of Île d'Aix in Charente-Maritime, inside the Pertuis d'Antioche.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Anse Gavy

Buoy mooring on the Saint-Nazaire side of the Loire estuary, near the Pointe de Chémoulin.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Plage de la Chambrette

Anchorage off the sandy Chambrette beach at the tip of the Médoc peninsula, inside the Gironde estuary mouth near Le Verdon-sur-Mer.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S