Blog: Côte d´Azur

17. June – 30. June 2025, 150 nm

Nice – Ile de Sainte Marguerite
The time has come. After two weeks of rest in the Baie de Anges marina, we’re setting sail again for Provence. We used the time near Nice to take shore excursions into the beautiful countryside and meet Uwe’s family, who were vacationing nearby. For the trip back to Port Napoleon, we’re accompanied this time by Jeremy, Sally Ann’s brother-in-law. An experienced sailor and a welcome guest on SALU.
The first stop is once again the Ile de Sainte Marguerite off Cannes. A quiet paradise just two miles from the lively city of Cannes. The annual Lion Awards are currently taking place there. A huge event for the advertising industry, which means that numerous large motor yachts, some of which are used as private hotels, are anchored in the bay off Cannes. Sally Ann’s daughter is working on one of these boats at the same time, and we sail past to say hello.

Ile de Sainte Marguerite – Agay
Our next stop is the beautiful anchorage of Agay, on the edge of the impressive Esterel Mountains with their red cliffs. Several buoy fields are set up in the bay, which are still sparsely occupied at this time of year. The water is crystal clear, and in the evening, we take the dinghy to one of the beach restaurants.

Agay – Saint Tropez
This time, too, we don’t moor in the port of Saint Tropez, but in the Baie de Canebiers anchorage. We take the dinghy to the small town beach outside of Saint Tropez and pull it ashore there. In ten minutes, we walk into town and enjoy the southern French flair. After the overpriced restaurants by the harbor, we head to a small French restaurant in the old town, which we discovered on our first visit. Simply heavenly!

Saint Tropez – Ile de Porquerolles
Once again, a stop on the Ile de Porquerolles is a must. Instead of mooring at the visitor’s quay, we return to the buoy in the harbor basin. Here, you can moor far more privately. The small town of Porquerolle lives up to its promise: pure French lifestyle and holiday atmosphere.

Ile de Porquerolles – Sanary-sur-Mer
We actually wanted to moor in the harbor of Ile de Embiez the next day. But it was the weekend, and we couldn’t get a spot. So we opted for the harbor of Sanary-sur-Mer, just a stone’s throw away. We weren’t disappointed. Sanary has managed to retain its charm as a small harbor town. It’s far less touristy than the towns further east. In the evening, there’s an annual music festival with numerous live bands. The colorful old wooden fishing boats and the good wine allow us to enjoy life.

Sanary-sur-Mer – Cassis
This time we manage to moor in Cassis. Many wealthy people from Marseille have their vacation homes and apartments in this small town. Nevertheless, the town has remained true to itself and exudes French charm. The only annoying thing about this harbor: Instead of calling in the morning to check if a berth is available, you have to register on a website. Available berths are released there from midnight. The next morning at 10 a.m., you find out whether you were lucky or not. We’re lucky and enjoy Cassis!

Cassis – Ile de Frioul
We head towards Marseille along the Calanques coast. We make short detours into the bays with their impressive chalk cliffs. The bays are often too narrow for anchoring, or it’s completely forbidden. So we stop for lunch off the Ile de Lerins. Here, apart from one other boat, we’re alone in crystal-clear water. The app „Donia“ helps us find a sandy spot where we can drop anchor. This way, we protect the precious seaweed.
We already know the harbor of Frioul from a short trip last year. The island is just two nautical miles from Marseille and is ideal as a stopover on the way to our destination. There isn’t much to see on the island. It is visited by day-trippers from Marseille. In the evening, it lies quiet and deserted.

Ile de Frioul – Sausset-les-Pins
Before sailing to Port Napoleon, we stop for a rest in Sausset-les-Pins, a small, sleepy fishing port north of the Frioul Islands. For the past few days, we’ve had only light winds up to 4 Bft from the southeast. Now the wind has picked up to 5-6 Bft, and we arrive at the harbor reefed. It’s quiet in the harbor basin. A bit unfortunate is that a mooring chain has been laid out here instead of a mooring line. To moor SALU to it, we have to pull a line through a rusty chain link. A messy and, in our opinion, unnecessary undertaking.

Sausset-les-Pins – Port Napoleon
With a fresh southwest breeze, we head toward Port Napoleon, our home port. Docking at the jetty is a bit bumpy, as the wind pushes us from the side. But finally, that’s done, and we can enjoy the evening and the anchorage.
Jeremy unfortunately has to leave us here, and we take him to Marseille airport. Not before getting him to promise to sail with us again in the fall. It was wonderful being with him!
It’s time for SALU to take a break, and she’ll be lifted ashore the next morning. Well secured and protected, she’ll wait here for the next six weeks until it’s time to set off again. This time to Rome!