French Riviera, St Raphael
Cruising Log of French Riviera: St. Raphaël Sunsail Base
Contributed by Carolyn Dales
Summary
Well, we're back to earth after a delightful vacation!
Sailing in the Côte d'Azur is totally different than any kind of sailing we've ever done. There is no prevailing wind direction, and for the most part it was relatively light.
We initially traveled east; first to Cannes, a big modern city with lots of stores, thenVillefranche Sur Mer, a typical old town with lots of history and culture. Gorgeous flowers were everywhere, in gardens, climbing up ancient walls and in every available space. The beach there had large smooth stones, surprisingly comfortable.
Every night we were in a marina on a med moor, which means you back up to a sea wall and tie the stern off to cleats. The bow gets attached to an elaborate chain system, which is available to be picked up in every slip, creating a sort of anchor line. The boats are sandwiched in with many fenders, however there is no tide or current to jostle them around. One night we were backed up to an ancient fort, once some little shops, and several times the dock separated us from a beach.
The next night we were in Monaco and went to the Grimaldi palace and the Oceanographic Museum of Prince Rainier the 1st. Both were great. A huge 'Carrefour' provided excellent shopping. All the slips have electricity and free water, so we didn't have to conserve either throughout.
From there we went to Menton, another ancient town. Italy was within walking distance. Two adorable children tried to sell me a raffle ticket for their school, but when they found out that we were leaving before the drawing they insisted on returning my money.
Heading west our next stop was Antibes, another very old city. There was a scrumptious open market in progress there, with marvelous fruits and vegetables. We went back to St. Raphael the next night to see some of the area there.
Next was the Golfe de St. Tropez. The marina there was a replica of Venice. Most of it was relatively new but made to look old. Very charming area. Some 12 meter yachts were practicing for a race and we spent some time watching them.
The next day we headed to Porquerolles, a small island about 40 miles west. It also was very charming, we walked all over, visited the fort and then went to the beach. We had supper at a 4 star restaurant with magnificent surroundings. We anchored off the rocks the next day and went snorkeling. There is no coral but the fish were pretty. Unfortunately there were many jellyfish. Our wet suits provided adequate protection however.
Our next port was Cavalaire, a totally delightful town and marina. The water was warm enough everywhere to swim off the beach, but to snorkel, the wet suits were a necessity. This town had sand similar to ours on its beach.
We had enjoyed St. Tropez so much we returned there. We dinghied around the harbour; in and out of the many fingers of it, and under may low bridges. Each house had its own boat slip with boats as large as the accompanying house. We were able to watch a 12 meter race of about a dozen boats, in the Golfe on our way out the next morning.
The weather was magnificent, in the 60's at night and the 80's in the daytime. Most of the time the sun shone, and it didn't get dark until after 9:30 p.m. The French people were extremely pleasant. A lot of them spoke a little English, but if they didn't, they enunciated slowly and clearly enough to be understood. The weather report was posted daily at the “Capitainerie” in every port. There were stores everywhere and laundromats in most ports. Post Offices and money exchanges were also prevalent. This was a delightful trip.