St Tropez/SoF Visitor Moorings?

[B175Chris]

Hi Guys,

I'll have another go at this after the forum broke down on me last night /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Okay so - During my time in france in the Summer I'd like to take a trip over to St tropez on my Bayliner 175, park in a visitor mooring for a couple of hours and then go, however i have a few problems:

1) I've emailed the capitainerie three times, though in english as i dont know enough of the French boaty terms and it all got a bit confusing when i started trying to do Conditional tenses in french, though I've had no replies so i've given up on that /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

2) I've tried phoning them, but they don't pick up the phone to me for some reason, and on the one occasion they did pick up, I was told in french that there was nobody at the capitainerie that speaks english so there was no point in calling back, so subsequently I havent /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

3) I have no VHF so i cant call up on the day whilst sitting outside the port to ask if they have any spaces

So basically i'd like to know a few things, as i believe quite a few on here have visited, such as jfm or tcm perhaps?

a) Do they have these moorings available? or is my boat too small anyway?

b) How much do they cost if they have them?

c) As a last resort, what should i be asking them for in french if I call again?

Sorry if this is asking a lot guys, but apparently this information is harder to get that it should be /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif So your expertise would be appreciated /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Also any exeriences of the above of St Raphael may be useful as I always find that nice to visit by car, and I can probably manage by boat as it's not too far round /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Cheers

Chris

 

[captainalex]

Hi Chris,

If you're just looking for a mooring for a couple of hours then you can normally find a spot on the end of a quay, they'll want 20 euros in July/August. Alternatively just visit the capitainerie when you arrive and they'll tell you where to park. At night this can rise to 50 euros in the summer!.

 

[Genie]

Hi Chris
I can't help with moorings, but in respect of translation, try this site:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr

I use it more to translate foreign words I don't recognise, but it is pretty good at blocks of text and sentences. Just don't include names or places as that can really throw it.
I used it to book a hotel in SofFR just to see how good it was, and it worked just fine.
Handy site - hope it's of use to you.
Rob

 

[captainalex]

Hi Chris,

just to elaborate a bit more on what i said previously; I think you'll find the best approach is to arrive at the Capitainerie and then ask for a quay space for set period. There's always space for 20ish footers around the port ( between superyachts etc). Although this can be done without charge often they are often expecting a 20 euro fee.

Certainly i wouldn't attempt the Port Grimaud-St Tropez road in the summer!.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Forget about communicating with any French marina in English. Even if they can speak English they won't out of cussedness. They won't pick up the phone to you because they can see that it's international call from England. Even if you could speak to them, they'd tell you they won't have a berth available because they could tell you were'nt French
If you know somebody who is French or speaks good French (Learner?), you might get some sense out of them but to be honest you're just as likely to get a berth by pitching up on the Accueil (reception) pontoon early in the day for the best chance
St Raphael is worth a visit by boat and so is Port Grimaud. If you're really stuck for a berth in Bay of St Tropez, Cogolin is probably considered the least attractive marina and therefore the most likely to have a berth. But IMHO, the place most worthwile visiting by boat is the bunch of islands round the corner from St Tropez called the Porquerolles, particularly Port Cros which is iddylic except if you're a smoker coz it's not allowed

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

[ QUOTE ]
Certainly i wouldn't attempt the Port Grimaud-St Tropez road in the summer!.

[/ QUOTE ]


... unless you're on a motorbike, which is how I'll be doing it! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[Steveu]

I agree with Mike -just arrive. tie up at the accueil quay, go into the Capitanerie & ask for a spot in your best schoolboy French, stressing that you have only a petit bateau, moins de 5m. I've only been there once in high summer but I found them polite & efficient despite being obviously rushed off their feet. I guess that if you have a small boat you are at least spared the need to traipse round the chandlers looking for a mains plug suitable for their elderly shorepower outlets.

 

[B175Chris]

Cheers guys for your advice, I think I'll go with the arrive early and be prepared to part with 20+ euros, although whether this would be at St Trop or St Raphael I'm not sure now hehe

I'll also look into porquerolles, think i've been round there quite a lot but never went far enough, at least i have a name for it now to put into Google earth /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks again

Chris

 

[jfm]

Port Grim is your best bet, and a nice place. They will be quite happy if you tie up on welcome quay and just go and ask for space for a few hours. It's on the right as soon as you enter the port, opposite the fuel, by the helipad and beofre you go into the "canal network" part.

St Trop is different kettle of fish. Space is at a premium. They do not like you entering sans vhf because there is much traffic dealing with entry/exit of superyachts. I often anchor outside and go in in the tender and ask for a berth there and then for a few hours, and they are fine. But you have to wait on anchor to be called in by vhf. They will say no charge but obviously you should tip them. It is kind of ok to go in unannounced by tender, but less so in your 5m ish boat, and there could easily be no welcome quay space becuase it is tiny

So I'd stick to Port Grimaud. And get a vhf!

Porquerolles is gorgeous but much more than "round the corner" in a 5m boat. It's about an hour, in fact from St Trop the furthest (and nicest imho) island is a bit further than Cap D'Antibes. Fine if you have calm seas, not otherwise

 

[B175Chris]

Thanks for that, really comprehensive - think i'll give St Trop a miss then and wait until i move up to a nice 60 footer in a few years time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

cheers

chris