The wind has completely died down as we leave Spain along its mountainous coast and head for Port Vendres, our first French destination on our Mediterranean journey - a well-protected natural harbour that offers the whole range of shipping and not just pleasure craft. You are right in the town and immediately immersed in a different culture. The harbour master does his best, but he doesn't want to overwork himself. So he groans loudly and audibly when we ask him to help us with the mooring lines.
Gruissan is a complete contrast: a new art world of harbour basins, flats and restaurants has been built around the historic village in the lagoon. The old waterway to the prosperous textile town of Narbonne used to be controlled here. Today, the ruins of the remaining castle tower offer a fantastic view of the village, the sea and the salt works, which still produce large quantities of sea salt.
The cruise on the Côte-d'Azur in pictures:
Here we also get to the bottom of the pink colour of the water. It is caused by Halobacterium salinarum - discovered by the German Heinrich Klebahn over 100 years ago and named "Microbe of the Year" in 2017 - no joke. This microbe is one of the archaea - primordial forms of life that resemble bacteria but are actually more closely related to plants and animals. Archaea are often adapted to very unusual habitats - such as hot springs, extremely acidic waters or high salt concentrations. This microbe thrives particularly well in salt pans and brines, which it colours red-violet. And these colourings then make their way through the food chain: the microbes are eaten by small brine shrimps, which in turn feed on flamingos. This is also how the birds get their striking pink plumage.
Diverse countryside around Sète
Things are less scientific in Sète, which we reach in glorious weather. As the marina only has a place for us without electricity and water, we prefer to moor in the centre, surrounded by a bascule bridge and a swing bridge. As in so many harbours, the former Handelskai has been redeveloped for urban living. Palm trees, traffic-calmed paths, electricity, water, lighting - it's hard to find a more urban berth. However, Sète cannot yet confirm the good impression of the berth during a first evening stroll. It is only over time - the mistral keeps us here for three nights - that we gradually gain a better impression of the town.
We use the enforced break to explore the surrounding area in a hire car. Our first destination is Montpellier - a dynamically growing cultural city with almost 300,000 inhabitants, over 60,000 of whom are students at the three major universities. And so the atmosphere in the city centre envelops us: lively, musical, young - it reminds us of Aachen with its "bubbling diversity". Although the increasing heat is somewhat dampening our appetite for action, it can't spoil the fun of this excursion. We are particularly impressed by Saint-Pierre Cathedral with its huge entrance portal.
We also visit a real tourist gem: Aigues-Mortes - a small medieval town within completely preserved city walls. Once planned as a harbour, it is now miles inland due to silting up and can only be reached via canals - including the highly frequented Canal du Rhône à Sète with its numerous charter boats and the railway swing bridge, which is well worth seeing.
A stroke of luck in Marseille
Then the mistral takes a favourable view and allows us to enter the Vieux Port of Marseille a day late. The Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica greets us from afar. The last time I saw Marseille was over 40 years ago and I am pleasantly surprised: what used to be a dingy trading port is now a chic, huge marina right in the centre of the city. We are moored alongside directly in front of the old town hall, from where countless restaurants can be reached without too much of a sweaty walk.
On the last evening, a wallet is stolen - from a bag secured with a zip. But after a rather frustrating trip to the police and lost property office, the next morning, already at sea, the almost unbelievable happens: A German voice answers the phone. The local savings bank is on the line and reports that a German woman living in Marseille has just called. She has found the wallet - without cash, but with all the other contents. So we charter a taxi in the next harbour and pick it up in Marseille in a hurry that same day. That's a good thing, because they had also forgotten to give me back my ship's papers - I had completely overlooked that when we set sail.
What would France be without wine and good food?
However, we would have preferred to use this time to fully savour the charms of our next stop. Although Île des Embiez is very close to the mainland, it can still only be reached by a small ferry and has therefore retained its beautiful, somewhat secluded island charm. Since 1958, it has belonged to the family of Paul Ricard, who was apparently able to acquire and develop the island through his "Ricard" - comparable to "Pernod". There is even space for a small but fine winery.
On the onward journey to Le Lavandou, our electronics are once again annoying with a new error message: "AIS SRM Alarm - Off Position". I receive a prompt reply from Raymarine in Hamburg, which immediately reassures me. Apparently it's a warning message from another ship and not from our system - our faces relax again.
We search in vain for the "Provençal charm" advertised for Le Lavandou in the travel guide. Instead, we end up at the excellent "Planches et Gamelles", which specialises in lobster risotto, and once again enjoy good French cuisine.
A hustle and bustle wherever you look
The route from Le Lavandou to the bay of St. Tropez increasingly resembles a water motorway. Motorised vehicles of all kinds predominate - the more horsepower, the better. The speed is as high as it can go, and the shortest route is decisive, regardless of who is travelling where. Consideration is a foreign word here - and at least the mercilessly rattling foamers have never heard of "seamanship". The water in the bay does not calm down even when there is no wind - nobody really needs that.
St. Tropez itself is constantly overcrowded and therefore not even a destination harbour. Instead, we chose the nearby Port Grimaud - a post-modern harbour town built in the 1960s, which was modelled on Venice and turned out wonderfully well. In the meantime, over fifty years of existence have given Port Grimaud a natural patina, so that more and more tourists are attracted by its charms. However, like many other hotspots in the Mediterranean, Port Grimaud must be careful not to suffocate from its own attractiveness.
However, when we made the reservation, we didn't realise that there are three marinas here. The one we radioed obviously didn't have a reservation from us, and the one we presumably booked with didn't answer the phone or radio. So we end up in the neighbouring Port de Cogolin. We lower our dinghy and go shopping and sightseeing - it really does feel like being in Venice.
While we are having dinner on board, the marineros surprise us with some high-handedness. Without saying a word, they untie our dinghy and tow it to the other side of the ship. They need the space for an incoming ship, they explain to me - but only after my baffled enquiry. I can understand that, but I don't have a crane on the other side of the ship. So how am I supposed to get the dinghy on board? Grumbling grumpily, the dinghy is brought back over and we heave it on deck in no time at all before our motorised colleague squeezes into the parking space.
Antibes makes up for it with plenty of charm
And then comes Antibes! Reserving a berth in Port Vauban is a little difficult, but after eight or ten phone calls with different ladies, we finally get a berth in Port Vieux. And it's really nice: a short walk into the old town, just a few steps to the bay by the sea and all the amenities of a large modern marina - what more could you want? Antibes enchanted us with its charm and epitomised something of a maritime place of longing for us, where we stayed for three days. Despite its charms, Antibes has somehow remained "normal" - a completely normal place for completely normal people. The chic factor of St. Tropez is completely absent here, and even sophisticated Cannes is much less cosy. Antibes, on the other hand, is right up our street with a very high feel-good factor - it's not the last time we've been here.
The Port Vieux in Nice then offers another programme of contrasts: located in the middle of the city, all facets of harbour life can be found here. Whether ferries to Corsica, tourist or diving boats, yachts or fishing boats. There is always something to watch - like a film on a panoramic screen.
Before we leave Nice, the mega yacht "Savannah" owned by Swedish billionaire Lukas Lundin sets sail. During the manoeuvre, all pleasure craft must remain on standby to release their mooring lines if necessary. This measure is probably due to an accident that is said to have happened here some time ago, when a larger vessel became tangled in the lines and caused extensive damage.
Typical Côte-d'Azur - Monaco
Everything goes smoothly today and, after clearance from Port Control, we set sail for Monaco - the next highlight of our Côte d'Azur tour. We sail past the huge cruise ship "Celebrity Reflection" in the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer along the coast and past Cap Ferrat and Cap d'Ail to Port Hercule in the Principality of Monaco. Despite our modest dimensions by local standards, we are welcomed professionally by the Capitainerie and given a beautifully situated berth. As dusk falls, Monaco reveals its special charms. The large superyachts are majestically illuminated, and even on land many of the inconspicuous tower blocks are transformed into glittering trees of light. People often forget that Monaco is not part of France and certainly not part of the EU. But when you make a phone call, you are reminded that this is a small sovereign state doing its own thing.
The weather has become unbearably humid. The expected August heat is accompanied by unusually high humidity - in Monaco we measure an incredible 91 per cent in the morning! You don't even need to move to break out in a sweat. So we are happy about every bit of wind and enjoy the journey on to Menton. The charming French-Italian border town, which has changed hands several times in its history between the two countries, is in an extremely attractive location and still offers a pleasant mix of cultures from both countries.
A highlight at the end of the cruise
The large Menton Garavan marina is already waiting for us and, with its shipyard, is also a candidate for our winter camp this year. But it's not that far yet - our last port of call on this leg of the journey still lies ahead of us: Sanremo, the city of music festivals and flowers. The large marina offers space for many guests along the palm-lined promenade. It would be even nicer to look at if the large old ruined building at the entrance to the harbour had finally disappeared. Sanremo itself offers something for everyone: lively Italian life, an old town worth seeing, a vibrant shopping street and a varied cultural programme.
Looking back, we were most surprised by the prices in the harbours. We had expected the Côte d'Azur to be the most expensive part of the Mediterranean. However, despite the fancy names, the price level for mooring fees is well below the Costa Brava and only about half that of the Balearic Islands. The islands are home to the real "pirates", as we will also discover on the next stage around Corsica. So off to the Côte d'Azur! Because when it comes to attractiveness, this beautiful coastline doesn't shy away from comparison anyway.
Service
Literature
Official recreational craft chart sets: NV.Atlas France "FR 9: Cabo Creus to Toulon" and "FR 10: Toulon to Menton-Monaco". Oversailer, area charts and detailed plans, format: 30 x 42 cm, paperback, scale: 1 : 150 000/1 : 50 000 (area charts). Download for digital maps. Price: 49 euros each. nvcharts.com/shop
Cruising stages
- Port Vendres - Gruissan: 38 nm
- Gruissan - Sète: 31 nm
- Sète - Marseille: 73 nm
- Marseille - Île des Embiez: 29 nm
- Île des Embiez - Le Lavandou: 34 nm
- Le Lavandou - Port Grimaud: 26 nm
- Port Grimaud - Antibes: 33 nm
- Antibes - Nice: 10 nm
- Nice - Monaco: 10 nm
- Monaco - Menton: 6 nm
- Menton - Sanremo: 13 nm
- Sanremo Total distance 303 nm
The top 3 in the district
1st place of longing Antibes: harbour, old town, castle, market hall, restaurants, bay, Picasso Museum - or as a starting point for trips along the coast, for example to Cannes or Nice. Not to be missed under any circumstances!
2. in the mountains: detour to the picturesque medieval villages in the mountainous hinterland of the coast, which are not far away. For example to the famous Èze Village, Roquebrune or Peillon.
3. the river valleys: excursions by car or train to the largely unspoilt, rugged valleys of the Var (best from Nice) or Roya (Ventimiglia) rivers.
Our boat: Marlow Explorer 72 (GRP) - Length: 23.66 m - Width: 6.13 m - Draft: 1.45 m - Displacement: 63 t - Cruising speed: 10 kn - Range: 3500 nm (6 kn) - CE category: A - Motorisation: 2 x 1000 hp (diesel)
Nautical information
The precinct The Côte d'Azur ("Azure Coast") is the name given to a section of the French Mediterranean coast. The name was coined by the poet Stéphen Liégeard, who published a book entitled "La Côte d'Azur" in 1887. However, opinions on the definition of the geographical coastal area vary considerably. The narrowest definition only includes the coastline of the Alpes-Maritimes department from the Pointe Nôtre Dame peninsula to Menton on the French-Italian border. Other sources begin further west in St. Tropez, Hyères, Toulon or even Cassis near Marseille. The large region along the coast is known as Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
The western part of the French Mediterranean coast from the mouth of the Rhône to the Spanish border, on the other hand, is part of the greater Occitanie region and lies along the Golfe du Lion, which is around 90 nautical miles wide. In this section, the flat coast and its hinterland are characterised by extensive wetlands and lagoons. These include the Camargue, which has been designated a nature park, as well as the large inland lakes (Étangs) de l'Or, de Thau, de Leucate and others.
The connection The navigable Rhône and the Rhine-Rhône Canal (Canal du Rhône au Rhin), which continues to the north, connect the French south coast with the European inland waterway network and Germany. The Canal du Rhône à Sète, which branches off from the Little Rhône, in turn forms the link to the Canal du Midi, one of the most popular inland charter areas in Europe.
The Mistral While the coastal waters are not known for any major navigational problems with good seamanship (apart from the high volume of traffic in the harbour area), the Mistral can be more of a risk for the course of the trip: This dry, cold northerly wind occurs when a cold front passes over France. It is forced through between the Pyrenees and the Alps and can reach hurricane force. As a rule, you should expect around 8 Beaufort, although the strength and direction of the wind can vary depending on the geographical location. The wind strength increases further over the open sea. A typical weather situation with mistral lasts three to four days on average.
