Bella Vita
Your Cruising Destinations
Mediterranean sea : French Riviera, charter Corsica, Italy, Sardinia
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You will encounter great weather most of the time, making navigation easy. Throughout the summer the winds are light and mainly easterly. Further to the west, near the Isles of Levant, thermal winds pick up at the end of the morning, sometimes reaching 20 knots by the end of the afternoon, when at its strongest. There are many places to drop anchor, most of them sheltered from the Mistral. The ports, although well-equipped, reach saturation point in the summer months. You should also maintain constant watch during this period as this is the busiest time for navigation. ACCESS FROM FRANCE - 3 international airports: Nice, Hyeres and Marseille. www.airfrance.fr PRATICAL INFORMATION European zone of the Euro. Provisions are easily found in each departure base and all along the coast in the supermarkets and colourful markets, overflowing with Mediterranean specialities. The local wine, cold meats and cheeses are in general mouth-wateringly good. In the summer months it is best to enter the ports at around midday, whether you are looking for an overnight stay or simply stocking up on provisions. TAXES and ADMINISTRATION A European identity card is required. The National and regional parks are not taxed. Please ensure that all beacons and regulations are strictly adhered to. Fires and barbecues are forbidden during the summer months. NOT TO BE MISSED In Antibes, you should visit the food market and the Picasso Museum. The Isles of Levant and Port Cros, a National Park are also worth the trip, as are the picturesque beaches of Cape Bena and the trendy Pampelon beaches. Further to the West are beautiful places to anchor, especially in the high cliffed greenery of Cassis. The lakeside city of Port Grimaud is beautiful and St. Tropez is of course a must if its nightlife you’re looking for. Towards the east you should stop off at Old Nice and wander through the market, the old port and harbour in Villefranche, and the principality of Monaco, famous for its castle and casinos.
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Next
stop is the island of Porquerolles
(23 miles): anchorage in Alicaster,
on-looking the superb Notre Dame
beach. The following morning there
will be time to visit the island
(for the more sporty you can hire
bikes and ride around the Island
approximately 3 hours), go for a
coffee in the Bar des Amis or play
pétanque on the main square. In the
afternoon we set sail for Port Cros
(9 miles) a beautiful and
practically untouched island. Here
you can spend the night anchored to
one of the buoys.
Our
next destination is Bregancon in the
Bay of the Lavandou (15 miles): we
stop here for swimming and lunch
before hoisting the sails again,
this time for Cape Taillat, Cape
Lardier, or Pampelonne Bay (6
miles). If weather conditions
permit, we can stay at anchor and go
for an evening walk on « Customs
Way ». Otherwise we return to Saint
Tropez to spend the night in the Bay
of Canoubiers.