Any St Tropez port experts here? please...

[B175Chris]

Hiya guys,

I was just wondering if anybody had visited the port at St Tropez in France...

If you have, I would really appreciate it if you knew of any public boat parking areas within the port, because I assume that all ports have to have some parking for visiting boats...

Please post a reply if you have any information that might help me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cheers,

Chris. J

 

[EME]

Welcome.

TCM and JFM will come back with detailed answers on how ( and how not ) to secure a vistors berth there and the peculiarities of St Trop . But yes , you can get a berth there as a visitor ( but only in the new port not the old - assuming your boat is as per your ID and consequently too small for the inner sanctum.)

Also consider Grimaud ( cheaper) at the.... errgggh, Grimaud end of the bay. Also slinging an anchor out in summer ..

 

[B175Chris]

Thanks for the reply, I actually have a place on the river coming out of Grimaud, I believe its called the 'Giscle', and I wanted to go over to St Tropez a few times and park up, do some sightseeing etc, but being a smaller boat, the 175 bayliner, i'm unsure of the parking areas available, and have had no word at all from the capitainerie or tourist office after several emails.. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Chris

 

[wakeup]

Have you tried e-mailing them in French, I guessing they have probably ignored you if in English.

 

[B175Chris]

Yeah, tried in French as well, I mean, I'm OK with french, and I can speak quite a lot, but if you were visiting and you didnt speak much french or even another language for somewhere else, information like this shouldnt be this hard to find...

Chris

 

[Steveu]

Maybe I've missed something here....but if you just mean how can I get a visitors berth in St Tropez for a couple of nights, it's not usually a problem ...you just call them up on the VHF as you arrive & they will direct you a berth (they have plenty of them) or you can tie up on the welcome quay near the capitainerie and nip in there and ask them. In my experience they are pretty helpful & informal in St Tropez. You'll almost certainly need to go searching in the town for a compatible shore power connector though......

 

[DPH]

Managed to get a berth last year for 2 days in July for a 42 footer. Just radioed the Harbour and directed straight to a berth. Believe their was an aritcle about this coast including St Tropez in on of the mags recently. Think their advice is just to go in and tie up outside the Captinere and go inside for instructions.

 

[John_Lana]

We are stern-to in the Old Port at the moment. Quite a few spaces now after a busy holiday weekend. Make a reservation ahead - call on 0494 56 68 70 and apart from the busiest weekends you should not have a problem. The more ahead you can book, the more likely you are to get lucky.
When you get a berth, a good "bung" will ensure that your boat is remembered favorably, and you will find it easier next time /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Cheers,
John

 

[B175Chris]

Well thanks very much, i really appreciate your time to help me out on that one, I would be quite interested to know which magazine that was in...
I might be worrying a bit too much, I'm quite new to boating, and my boat is a Bayliner 175, just under 18 foot, and the last thing I want to do is annoy french boaters or harbourmasters, but from what you've all said they seem like nice people at the capitainerie. so I'm sure they will understand my position /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks again

Chris

 

[tcm]

St Tropez moderate expert writes

You cannot book ahead or reserve a space in advance (in the old port at least) in summer months unless the boat is 21.5m long or more.

This year "summer" rates started early, in May. They usually end sept 1. In lower season pprices are really cheap - like €50 euros for 23m boat. Tho in summer it it er about €300 or so, per night.

The old port is the bit where there are shops and road around. This is where people really want to be.

The new port is where it's like a brit marina - you know, poxier, a bit of a hike to town, with pontoons.

The general policy is that in summer, boats over 21.5m and under 40m boats can go into old port, under 21.5 generally sent to new port. Partly i spose cos mix of v big and v small boats would end up with smll boats getting crushed.

Also ispose t looks less swanky unless it's all quite giant boats in old port. Smaller boats (just) over 21.5 usually go to er er the very select western end, not the ghastly middle bit in front of cafe de paris with tsk awful charter types on bigger boats, recognisable by having maximum number of guests on board and loud hurrah-we're on-a-boat parties till 3am and useless crew/skipper who shrug their shoulders about the racket.

Even if ovr 21.5 metres you are less likely to get a space "on spec" in the old port by turning up on the day in summer months (tho not impossible) cos of aforementiond ability of bigger boats to prebook. Lots of these book in jan or feb for July and August. There are only around 25 berths out of 38 for day visitors in old port - far more in new port but not easily bookable.

Even if you are over 21.5 metes and can therefore prebook in st trop old port and then book ahead in jan or feb for summer ...you can still only book max 3 consecutive nights.

For under 21.5 metres, you wil almost ccertainly be sent to the new port in summer. For the new port, you can call all you like, but the space is not actually "reserved" - it's on first come first served basis. They will takle name and so on but not as solid as for prebooked berth in old port. Which means a boat under 21.5 metes can't ever be sure of a space. Cos the spaces they are renting in new port are often rented seasonally and some might go out and, heh, some might not...

Even if you are over 21.5 metres AND book ahead AND only for less than 3 nights you have to FAX in advance. Going to the capitainerie in person is no good and neither is email. AND once faxed reservation (say in jan or feb) then you still have to call within 24 hours of arival to confim. AND even then - if the wind blows up then existing oldport boats won't leave so har har, the booking is off till boats can be chucked out.

But, you might still get space on spec in old port due to other boats not turning up.

They speak English in the port and on vhf ch 9 - but it seems good manners to says "bonjour st tropez" and then (if you must) "parlez vous anglais par hazard?" on ch 9. If you are rude, they will tell you no space - and then call othr boats into port. This seem to apply to italians who sometimes don't get the requirement for good manners.

For under21.5 m and hence not-reserved boats in summer and hence likely to end up in new port or near capitainrie n the wall... You should consider getting to the port at around midday to be more sure of a berth - cos midday is oficial deadline for chucking out. You can get there earlier of course and sit at anchor outside port , perhaps call nicely or indeed berth at capitainerie and walk in. But usually you can't take up a berth till aftr midday, sometimes till after 3pm. Patience and smiles and good manners count a lot.

Once you have gotten your space in the new port on first-come-first-served basis...the capitainerie will tell you that you should not leave that space for rest of the day! Else you might lose it with people nipping in and having a word with capitainerie later. Yep, you lose any payment as well.

Giving "bungs" to the people in the capitainerie is (in my experince) totally unnecessary. It shows that you are (or your owner is) a dreadful foreign capitalist and not at all au fait with normal understated french ways such as driving battered car regardless of your (or owners) wealth. So you can easily book ahead in st trop old port with 21.5m+ boat, or turn up on spec for new port, and never ever give "bungs" AND be on friendly terms. How friendly? If St Trop ring YOU up on mobile mid-morning and ask how you are getting along and your ETA - i call that pretty darn friendly. Tho perhaps we are well-remebered as those gits who never give bungs. Mind you, the old port prices start 300 euros a night in summer. A fair bit les in new port i think.

We've never been "bumped" for any reason so a booking in advance in old port seems solid.

After summer high season, the restriction on smaller boats ends. Less neeed to book, loads moe likley to be spaces in old port. Look for the "bradade" (sales) in st trop when prices can be 70%+ off. But no chance of a space in old port during the voiles de st trop end oct-ish unless you are a sailing classic.

There are two harbourmasters at st tropez. The suave younger one praps late thirties who looks like Victor Mature is called Jean-Marc. The greyer v helpful thinner older one with spectacles who is ok about chain-ended ropes being chucked attim at head height is Francois.

Hope this helps

 

[B175Chris]

Re: St Tropez moderate expert writes

Excellent, thanks for all the info /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[tcm]

forgt email. Phone 9-12 or 3-6. then confirm by fax.

*usually*...you can sneak in at lunchtime free of charge. Cs all the boats bog off to pammpleonne beach by midday and come back from 4ish

 

[gbowden]

Hi,

The article that was mentioned is in May's MBM. We were actually one of those boats that cruised the south of France last July/August. St. Tropez we had no problems with obtaining moorings in the new port. A sealine 240 cost €29 for a berth including electric. Very helpful staff, just moor outside capaintaire's office where we were given berths for the night, as long as we told them we were going out, our berths were kepted. Had a few more difficulties in smaller marina's obtaining berths but generally most will fit you in.