43:16.42N 06:34.88E

9 August 2011

No real rush in leaving as the trip to St Tropez is short.  Easy departure with no wind.  Looked at the fuel dock to see if we could refuel but it was occupied by a fast big fuel consuming 60 foot powerboat that would be there a while.  So off we went.  The rough gulf was calm and we attempted to sail for a while.  Some wind and nice and calm but progress was very poor.  After one hour we went 2.5 miles so time for the motor again.

Not much of interest along the way.  Plenty of boats moving around.

Arriving at St Tropez we called on the radio for a berth.  The answer was pleasant but nothing available.  The marina is jammed this time of year and we are the wrong length.  Too long for the small berths but too small for the berth we would occupy since they could put a larger powerboat in it.  So back onto the phone and I called Port Grimaud for a berth.  They were nice and check and asked to call back while they checked to see if they could find a space.  About ½ hour later we were given a berth and we entered the created town and marina.  Depth was shallow but we got past the worst and into the mini Venice style place.  The mooring guys helped us into a great spot and we berthed again with 40 people watching.  Luckily no issues and we looked good.

Port Grimaud is a created holiday place that was dug out of the marshes on the west side of the gulf of St Tropez.  They made all these little canals and built connected houses on the created islands.  It could have been done poorly but in this case it came out fine.  Every house is different in style and color.  They created little tiny harbors around and have berths at many of the houses for the owners boats.  Like a Disney town.  Just jammed with people renting the villas/houses but not oppressive.  Plenty of cafes, restaurants, shops, etc and a nice beach on the gulf.  Well done.

The marina staff was very nice and helpful.  I asked if we could stay for two days and they frowned, meaning the few open spots are in huge demand.  Okay that is fine as we really need to get going.  If we stayed another day we would have gone into St Tropez for a visit but not required as we had been there before by car.

Center of the created town.

One of the nice canals around

Another canal.  This place is huge and has the staff to keep it running well.  Somehow they keep the water circulating to keep it relatively fresh.