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In July we took ourselves on a weeks ‘fact-finding’ mission to explore as much of the med coast as we could fit in. Our itinerary was to fly to Marseille, pickup a car and head off west, returning via the same route seven days later. The outline plan was to get as far over to the west into the Languedoc-Roussillon as practicable, visiting ports and harbours along the way, then return back to the east to see what the Provence Alpes-Cote D’Azure region had to offer. Now the bright readers amongst you will recognise that the smart thing to do would have been to arrive in the west and fly back from the east, or vice-versa, thereby saving road miles. However we were governed by flight and hotel availability in what was peak season for travel to and from the area so took what we could at very reasonable prices.
 I started my research by scanning the whole coast from aerial photographs to identify those ports which already had catamarans berthed in them. We knew we couldn’t visit them all so we filtered out those which seemed unlikely to be able to accommodate our boat. In all we took in 22 marinas/ports and travelled some 1300 km. This was quite easily achievable because of the wonderful road network and ease of motorway use. Even the tolls didn’t put us off. Our observations are purely based on our own needs and in no way allied to the French Tourist Board! And whilst I consulted the Reeds Western Mediterranean Almanac for relevant port details I cannot guarantee all the data I have provided to be 100% accurate. That said, we did speak to as many ‘Capitainerie’ as possible to get the ‘low-down’ despite some translation problems; some of the staff were typically reluctant to converse in English and quite rightly so as we were the visitors. I have provided the important data which should be referred to when considering each port or marina.
 The Mediterranean Coast
The Mediterranean coast of France is conveniently divided into two sections, west of the Rhône (Languedoc-Roussillon), and east of the Rhône (Provence - Riviera). Languedoc offers mile upon mile of sandy seashores - though the Mediterranean being non-tidal, these sandy beaches are not generally as broad as those of the Atlantic coast. On the other hand, the water is usually warmer. Around the Rhône delta, between the Camargue and Marseilles, the coast is not particularly touristy; with the proximity of shipping ports - Fos and Marseille, and the water coming from the Rhône River.
Area of France that we visited.
Arrival in France and Martigues
On arrival at Marignane we collected our car and drove the 22 km to Martigues to get an evening meal and find our pre-booked hotel. We were delighted to find this enchanting port which nestles at the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte which separates the Mediterranean 7 km to the west from the Etang de Berre - a huge ‘salt lake’ formerly known as the Sea of Martigues. We ate at a street café overlooking the yachts moored alongside, soaking up the atmosphere and planning the next few days events. Martigues is known as The Venice of Provence because of its charming canals and bridges. It is also renowned for its regional wines.
Essentially there are three marinas in Martigues: Port Maritima (1000 berths), the largest, is a dry port situated on the south bank of the canal. The main afloat one, and most glamorous is sited in the Bassin de Ferrières (334 berths/10 visitor) with unrestricted access to the sea via the canal. Jonquières Harbour (400 berths) is sited around the corner within the Canal de Marseille au Rhône and is inland of a lifting bridge which crosses the Passe de Jonquières. The latter marina showed signs of where the ‘liveaboards’ are berthed and although looking a little tired and pale in comparison to the former it is close to the old town in Port Abri with it's shops and restaurants. The berths are shared between a yacht club, sailing school and ‘wet’ area for Port Maritima. Although we didn’t get to speak to the Capitainerie we did manage to catch a glimpse of the berthing charges for Port Maritima. As of 2008 an annual berth for an 11m monohull would cost €1782 including one lift, or €271 per month inclusive of VAT. There is also a additional daily tax ranging from €0,2 per day to €73 per year.
Note that the Etang de Berre is navigable and has at least seven more inland ports, none of which we visited.
 
Martigues
Day 2
Port Napoléon - Bouches Du Rhône
 
On that first full day we ate a hearty breakfast, switched on the car’s AC and set off for Port St. Louis du Rhône, some 30 mins or so around the Golfe de Fos. We planned to visit Port Napoléon Marina (350 berths/20 visitor) which lies at the end of the Grand Rhône, and to view a Privilege catamaran which was for sale. The marina is relatively new and benefits from modern pontoons, rather that the traditional ‘med’ mooring of bow/stern to and extensive hard standing. Whilst the marina offered all the facilities we would need: large hoist, shore storage, marine services, power and water on the pontoons, it was a little out of the way with Port St. Louis being the nearest civilisation. The marina is situated at the end of the Canal de Saint-Antoine which leads to the Port de Fos, and perhaps some 40 minutes or so from open water. Port St. Louis itself was idyllic but restricted by a maximum berth size of 8m and a waiting time which would see me collecting my old age pension first!
Port Napoleon Marina
We spent an hour or so looking around the marina and at other catamarans for sale, enjoyed a café-au-lait in the restaurant, then set off for the longish journey towards Port Camargue around the Parc Régional de Camargue - a massive nature reserve full of salt lakes and wildlife. There is no ‘through’ road in this region so the only way is to head up to Arles, cross the Rhône and then west to Montpelier. We chose to stay as rural as possible and took a district road through to the nature reserve and the Petit Camargue. The whole trip was around 101km but well worth the drive.
Late afternoon saw us arrive at Port Camargue Marina (350 berths), the only ‘Port de Plaisance’ or Leisure Marina on the Gard coast. It is situated just south of the Le Grau de Roi, a fishing port at the mouth of the Vidourle River which connects with the Rhône to Sète canal (Grande Roubine) from Nîmes. This marina is huge by comparison to those found in the UK and very much based on the ‘marina village’ layout with apartments spread throughout. It boasts 4860 berths between the public port and marina along with yacht clubs, numerous hotels, cafes and restaurants, and is typically a Mecca for the tourist. The berth sizes are restricted by mooring posts as opposed to ground chains therefore vessel beam determines where you go, although multihulls were med moored to an open quay. The Capitainerie staff although busy at the time, were helpful and spoke English.
I can see the attraction of this marina. It is immediately accessible to the Golfe du Lion and the Mediterranean and has everything one might need, including thousands of tourists in high season! Whilst this sort of marina doesn’t appeal to us as a long term ‘home’ it did have some charm and we thought that it could be a possibility, providing the price was right. The waiting list is quite daunting so I would expect to negotiate six month contracts. Our only concern was that it could be a little bleak when the season ends and some if not all the tourist facilities close down!
 
Port Camargue Marina
From Port Camargue we settled down for the night in the F1 roadside hotel nearby in Montpelier. Simple and cheap, the hotel offered enough for the weary traveller except for air conditioning!
- Created on Tuesday, 18 August 2009 07:07
- Written by Jerry Tremain
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