Les Marines De Cogolin and SOF General Advice

A

alchemy30

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2012
Messages
27
Location
South East
Visit site
Afternoon all,

So after taking a boat down and staying in Port Grimaud for a few years I have decided following a very recent divorce it would be nice to have a boat down there all season.

By chance I was introduced to someone who is planning on selling his 10m and 8m berth at Les Marines de Cogolin.

I have been out there last week with my kids and took a look at both moorings which are in good locations and am meeting the seller in a couple of weeks to see if we can grind out a deal.

I am looking for any advice in relation to Les Marines or SOF in general that may be of use to me.

Boat wise I shall probably buy a 25ft speedboat so that I can still tow it myself should I want to.

The idea of going bigger to say a 30ft does appeal as I could look and getting something that could be used as an overnighter aswell. (any advice welcome)

I plan on coming down on long weekends by myself (+guest) and also with my two children (7+4) over their holidays and would want a boat that is suitable for skiing and toys.

One other question Jimmy the builder mentioned in one of his posts he uses a storage place in Nice for a scooter, what do you (or others) do in my situation instead of hiring cars each time.

Thanks in advance,

Cam
 
Last edited:
dpb said:
So why not find somewhere to store it on the trailer and just launch when you use it.....much cheaper and kinder to the boat?
Click to expand...

Launch spots are few and far between --- in fact I'm struggling to name one.

However "Dry Stack" is very much an option as long as you dont mind a fixed base.

A popular choice is owning a second car (even co-owning) and parking in / near your port of choice.

Personally I think smaller boats are better catered around Cote d'Azur rather than St Tropez in that there are more 'local' places to park, snooze and ski ... but that is subjective.
 
Last edited:
we were in marines de Cogolin last week friday,
and I did absolutely not like it,
purpose build Marina, nothing special,
only "Marina owned" restaurants
Port Grimaud is just too far to walk

I prefer a port near a nice town, village, such as
Cassis, La Ciotat, Sanary sur mèr, Toulon, ...... Cavalaire, Antibes, ...

the area around St Tropez has no regular airport nearby,
that would be my first box on the list

I know and like the area between Cassis - Toulon - Hyères very well
airports in Marseille and hyeres
or railroad, thalys to Marseille or Toulon,

there are many mates on here who are used to and prefer the cote d'azur,
less windy,
Antibes,
airport / railway to Nice.

I have a car in Toulon all summer, just to bring /bring back stuff from Home to the boat,
but when the boat is in a port near a big or nice city you don't really need a car.

there are many dry stock places, all over the SOF

in the past we had many years of happy boating with a smaller towable boat + house renting,(Croatia) nothing wrong with that.
now we live aboard during holliday.

in SOF there are many places where you can rent a sports boat up to decent length (much cheaper then having your own)
but that woudn't be an option for me; prefer to have my own, completely adapted / equipped to my desire / needs.
 
Last edited:
First thanks for the replies so far.

I agree Marines de cogolin is a concrete village but its the proximity to St Tropez and Pampelonne that interests me.

In the mornings around Port Grimaud its nice and flat, perfect for skiing and toys and then you can shoot off for the day.

Im only 33 so am interested in being close to the nightlife and am partial to a night out in the St Tropez.

Drystacks I hadn't thought of, could someone explain the gist, can you just have the boat put in and taken out as you wish e.g. daily ? Any ideas on cost ?

I'm very much open to suggestions on all counts including areas so please keep your opinions coming.
 
Last edited:
EME said:
Launch spots are few and far between --- in fact I'm struggling to name one.
Click to expand...

Well I have to disagree with that statement, I have used these:
Marine de Cogolin,
at least three at Port Grimaud,
St Raphael,
Cavalaire,
Carro,
Hyeres (this one too small for 25 ft though).

And they are not the only ones.

Some of the camp sites between Port Grimaud and St Maxime have launch ramps also.

It isn't the launch spot that is difficult, its parking the trailer after, but if you have found a bot storage location that wont be a problem.

Storage is to be found at some marinas, some camp sites, some 'inland' boat dealer / workshop operations and also caravan / trailer storage locations.

Just something to consider!
 
RE:

Agree with Dpb that there are at least three launch spots in PG (probably more) and one at the entrance to the river at Port Cogolin.

I'm fairly familiar with the PG/St Tropez area having kept a rib down there for 5 years. Previous to that have done some boating along the Cote d'azur based out of Golfe Juan.

I can sympathise with your preference for being close to St Trop/Pampelonne, being in my twenties I still enjoy the party atmosphere of Nikki Beach and the long lunches on Club 55, Tahiti Beach etc. I think there are plenty of anchorages to keep you entertained on a 30 footer- in my opinion more so than Cote D'azur. One of the advantages to being in the Bay is that unless you've got a strong easterly blowing down the Bay you can venture out in most conditions provided you're comfortable berthing.

Not overly familiar with Marines de Cogolin but can understand where Bart is coming from with his comments. Once you've got a tender on the water I think you'll find PG is within easy reach with a wealth of restaurants there.
 
Thanks DPB, I have used the slipways at Port Grimaud and Les Issambres without too much difficulty but dont like the idea of having to pull it in and out each day.

Captain - How do the anchorages work, who owns them etc ?

Thanks
 
alchemy30 said:
Thanks DPB, I have used the slipways at Port Grimaud and Les Issambres without too much difficulty but dont like the idea of having to pull it in and out each day.

Captain - How do the anchorages work, who owns them etc ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You don't have to, just launch when you get there and take a visitors berth for the length of your stay. Though you might have to research which marinas have a reliable booking service for July and august. Rest of the year just turning up early should be ok.
 
What about instead of buying a sportsboat and a mooring what about a small flat on the coast and rent a boat when needed. Walked past the ABYS floating dock near the old town in Port vauban, sports boat hire started form around €100 for half a day from memory.

We spent a few nights in Port Grimaud last week and I really liked it there. (Nearly bought a house and mooring there years ago but was put off by a French guy i work with, the stories of getting there in peak summer taking over 4 hours)
 
MRC said:
We spent a few nights in Port Grimaud last week and I really liked it there.
Click to expand...

may I asc you how you got a berth ?

tried a few times this summer but never got place,
called in the morning for the coming night,
same for St Maxime,
perhaps just bad luck,

did they take a reservation long in advance ?
 
MRC said:
We spent a few nights in Port Grimaud last week and I really liked it there. (Nearly bought a house and mooring there years ago but was put off by a French guy i work with, the stories of getting there in peak summer taking over 4 hours)
Click to expand...

Only way to ever go to St Tropez is by boat ( or helicopter if you're Nick!) --- the traffic queues are legendary even if you take the back roads which are horrendous diversions.

Bart wasnt the only person who couldnt get into Grimaud last week. Our friends had a similar issue.
 
EME said:
Only way to ever go to St Tropez is by boat ( or helicopter if you're Nick!) --- the traffic queues are legendary even if you take the back roads which are horrendous diversions.
Click to expand...

You need to get yourself an uber-scooter mate, that'll get you there :D

Cheers
Jimmy
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
You need to get yourself an uber-scooter mate, that'll get you there :D
Click to expand...
well there had to be some reason to buy one ;) Now, when you've cracked towing a 25-foot speedboat behind one I shall concede defeat ! No doubt that two wheels are a BIG benefit down here July & August .

I hate that journey so much that even when she insists on going to the sales in St Tropez we go by ferry ...
 
BartW said:
may I asc you how you got a berth ?

tried a few times this summer but never got place,
called in the morning for the coming night,
same for St Maxime,
perhaps just bad luck,

did they take a reservation long in advance ?
Click to expand...


We called up direct, one or two days before and they booked us onto the fuel quay. Better than it sounds as we have young kids and the beach next door was a hit with them. Boat next to us at our home port called and was moored in teh centre by the church. We used teh tender to get into the middle.

Great for us as we could relax on the front of the boat whilst keeping an eye on the kids on the beach.
 
MRC said:
Great for us as we could relax on the front of the boat whilst keeping an eye on the kids on the beach.
Click to expand...

if the pic had better res, and if it was taken last friday,
you could see us moored in Cogolin, in front of the capitainerie :)
but I don't think it was friday, looking at the flat water
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

R
My boat trip hopefully in May Around Scotland
2 3 4
Replies
65
Views
2K
RobBradley
R

Share this page

Top