Best anchorages and harbours in Vendée

Plage de la Grande Conche / Plage des Ovaires

Open bay on the south-east shore of the Île d'Yeu, in the Vendée, with a sand bottom and a ban on anchoring over the seagrass beds.

• Sheltered W, SW

Cordemais

River port of around 60 berths on the north bank of the Loire estuary, 20 km upstream of Saint-Nazaire.

Plage des Souzeaux - Anse Rouge

Anchorage on the north coast of Noirmoutier island, between the Souzeaux beach and the Plantier point, with around 200 moorings on mud bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered SW, S

Anse des Broches

North-facing cove on the Île d'Yeu, Vendée, west of Port-Joinville.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

La Meule

Small rocky inlet on the south coast of the Île d'Yeu, used as a fishing and visitor mooring under the white Notre-Dame-de-la-Bonne-Nouvelle chapel.

• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Mouillage des Sabias

Anchorage on the south coast of Île d'Yeu, two miles from Port-Joinville, sheltered from winds from the north sector.

• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Port-La-Vie

Marina of 1 000 berths at the mouth of the Vie river in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, on the Vendee coast.

Noirmoutier-en-L'île

Lock harbour on the east side of Noirmoutier island, at the head of the Étier de l'Arceau, 2 NM south of L'Herbaudière.

Port Joinville - Île d'Yeu

Main harbour of the Île d'Yeu on the north coast of the island, 648 berths, maximum draught 3 m, 13 nautical miles from the mainland at Fromentine.

Quai Garnier

Town-quay pontoons on the Chaume side of the Les Sables-d'Olonne channel, 120 berths, maximum draught 1.5 m.

Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie

Anchorage off the estuary of the Vie on the Vendée coast, sand bottom, shelter from NW through E.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

La Baule - Le Pouliguen

Tidal harbour at the mouth of the étier du Pouliguen between La Baule and Le Pouliguen in southern Brittany, 820 berths.

Loire Nautic Services

Boatyard and pontoon on the right bank of the Loire at Cordemais, 20 NM upstream from Saint-Nazaire.

Pointe du Chatelet

Anchorage off the northwest tip of the Ile d'Yeu, near the Grand Phare and the wild Cote Sauvage.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Port Bourgenay

Purpose-built marina of 640 berths on the Vendee coast, south of Les Sables-d'Olonne, at the edge of Talmont-Saint-Hilaire.

Pornic

Marina of 914 berths at Pornic in southern Loire-Atlantique, split between the Vieux Port under the castle and the Noëveillard basin on the Côte de Jade.

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 des Soux

Sandy cove on the south coast of the Île d'Yeu, between the Pointe des Corbeaux and the Pointe du But, sheltered from the north.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

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

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

Île du Pilier

Anchorage off the Île du Pilier, a small granite island northwest of Noirmoutier in the Bay of Biscay.

• Sheltered W, SW

L'Herbaudière

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

La Linière

Sand anchorage on the north coast of Noirmoutier island, between L'Herbaudière and Noirmoutier-en-l'Île.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

le pellerin

River port on the Loire in Loire-Atlantique, about 15 km downstream from Nantes on the left bank.

Les Sables d'Olonne - Port Olona

Non-tidal marina in Les Sables-d'Olonne, 1400 berths, maximum draught 5 m, starting harbour of the Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race.

Petite Rade

Sand anchorage in the outer roadstead of Les Sables d'Olonne, just south of the harbour entrance, on the Vendée coast.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Pointe de Mindin

Anchorage in the Loire estuary, on the south bank at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, opposite Saint-Nazaire.

• Free
• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Saint Jean de Monts

Open roadstead off the long sandy beach of Saint-Jean-de-Monts, Vendée coast south of the Baie de Bourgneuf.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E

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

Port de Morin

Tidal harbour of 850 berths at L'Épine on the west coast of Noirmoutier, sheltered behind a sand spit at the mouth of the étier de l'Arceau.