Marseille cruising. Advice please.

[XTE]

Advice needed, please. To celebrate a 50th birthday we have an Oceanis 48 charterd in Marseille from Thursday to Sunday, late October. 7 blokes on board that want to sail by day and party ashore by night. If we were to sail out of the old harbour on Friday and return on Sunday, were would be cool to sail to?

 

[macd]

There's some lovely spots within a day sail or two to the east: La Ciotat etc, the islands off Hyeres. The old town in Toulon is worth a visit (but then the old town in Marseilles is certainly older and probably better...). Your big issue is going to be weather. If there's a Mistral knocking about, it will severely limit your options.

 

[tcm]

Advice needed, please. To celebrate a 50th birthday we have an Oceanis 48 charterd in Marseille from Thursday to Sunday, late October. 7 blokes on board that want to sail by day and party ashore by night. If we were to sail out of the old harbour on Friday and return on Sunday, were would be cool to sail to?

Very weather-dependent. Marseilles is full of mad sailing boats cos there's mad wind - a fabulous 200+ days per year the wind goes to F6 or above. If weather permits I would go East for fun places. Be prepared to motor, tho, cos it's changeable. Four days is a bit short to reach much distance so St Tropez (pretty cool?) where you can anchor out or (out of season) get marina berth no problem.... is perhaps too far. Cute town. But go east anyway I think. On the way there or back....

1 The calques. These are picture- perfect limestone creeks just a few miles E of Marseilles. Definitely worth a lunch stop either on the way out or on the way back in.
2 Cassis. Little town maybe just over 10M Efrom Marseilles, other side of the calques, pretty town some say like the s of france used to be 60years ago.
3 La Ciotat also nice town
4 Porquerolles island
5 Marseilles old port itself worthwhile mooching about, restaurants etc.

 

[BartW]

in addition to TCM's post;

by the way, the creeks are called "les callenques"
sormiou and Morgiou are big enough to stay on anker for the night, when the wind blows in the right direction.

Cassis is my favourite spot in the region, a bit like Saint Tropez without the bling bling and high prices in restaurants and bars.

Sanary sur mer is the second best, restaurant MOOM is my favourite in the whole region.

Les embiers is very quite and nice,

depending on wind direction, you might find bay's or coves to stay overnight on anker

La Ciotat and Bandol are less attractive imho (but still real orriginal SOF athmosphere)

in front of Porquerolles are very nice beaches where you can ancher and stay overnight,
this probably is the farest you can go from Marseille in the limited timeframe.

as others have said, close look at the forcast.

a few years ago I sailed from Cassis to marseille on newyearsday at 17°C, clear bleu sky, and zero wind,
but you must have some luck

 

[tcm]

in addition to TCM's post;

by the way, the creeks are called "les callenques"

ok, we're both wrong, mine with a typo and yours sounds right but isn't - it's "calanques" pronounced "callanks"

 

[BartW]

ok, we're both wrong, mine with a typo and yours sounds right but isn't - it's "calanques" pronounced "callanks"

when I'm not sure I alway's write 2 l's or 2 r's or 2 whatever,
just to make sure there enough of them

"language" has never been my best quality , let alone French

 

[XTE]

Cheers for good advice. If a Mistral is not blowing, we will head east!

 

[BartW]

regarding the calenques,
with that boat size, you can also / better stay in

Calenque de port pin,
or
Calenque d'en Vau
the 2nd and 3th Calenque on west side of Cassis
depending on wind direction, and swell

both are really nice, port pin is beautiful and the best protected.
you can tie the stern with a rope to the rocks,

in summer +20m boats can't go in these calenques, I'm not sure how it is in winter

if you want to go in a Marina, don't go in Port Miou, there is nothing,
only way to get out that calenque, to Cassis, is by foot, and its a long walk,

staying with the boat in Cassis, and have a pastis or rosé in bar le Port is a top experience

 

[Mrnotming]

Next time use Port Pin Rolland inToulon Harbour, where lots of room exists in more sheltered waters if the MISTRAL is doing its 3/6/9/12 blow.
Port Miou is a hurricane hole, a bus free links to Cassis from the car park in Season.Upper reaches of Miou are untouched by wind and swell.Mind your manners.free ice swim,lovely residents.Stone for base of liberty quarried here.