The ‘real’ Provence
France’s south-facing Mediterranean coastline can be divided into three sections. From the west, starting at Grau d’ Agde, through Sète to the Rhône, the Catalan coastline is flat with the hills of Languedoc and the Massif Central blue and inviting in the distant haze. Sandwiched between the large and bland marina developments are some gutsy no-nonsense harbours.
Moving east from the Rhône to the Rade (bay) de St Tropez is to immerse yourself in ‘real’ Provence/Cote d’Azur territory.
Why real? Well, at the risk of sounding twee, it’s pretty. Here, visiting yachtsmen will find destinations that inspired Med voyages back in the heady days of the Earls Court Boat Shows. With few non-French tourists, an abundance of free anchorages, set against classic Med landscapes – some rocky and brutal, others green, soft and wooded – most in crystal clear water. Ashore, umbrella pines, olives, date palms and tamarisk abound.
East of St Tropez, development intensifies rapidly along the Riviera, as do the crowds and motor yachts, many of them enormous. Jet skis are everywhere. This is not to say there are no pleasant places to visit – Antibes, Nice, Villefranche, Monaco and Menton, for example. But they are busy. During high season berths must be pre-booked. So, it’s no surprise that we opted for the Sète to St Tropez section.
Marseille Estaque
Keppel was launched at Navy Service, Port St Louis, on 15 June bound for Marseille. After a bumpy motor out of Golf du Fos, we found both yacht clubs in Marseille old port full due to a regatta, so we headed north for Marseille Estaque, at the end of the industrial port.
We spotted a sheltered anchorage behind an outer mole. My wife, Janie, was suffering from her customary first-day-back-at-sea sickness, so we were relieved to see an alongside pontoon just inside the harbour. More commonly, boatfolk have to moor bow- or stern-to.
Set against a backdrop of jagged rock pillars, Estaque is low-key but pleasant. The (harbour master’s office) was closed for the weekend so we entered the clubhouse bar. where she was.
