Marinas du Golfe de Saint-Tropez – Voyage in the French Riviera

In this article, I am taking you on holiday to the Mediterranean coast. Not as a tourist guide or keen photographer but with a focus on maritime engineering, planning and history. Last August, visiting friends in Provence, I spent a day in the Golfe de Saint-Tropez which is a boating heaven in the French Riviera. So put your lifejacket and let us sail to Port Grimaud, Cogolin, Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Tropez!

Port Grimaud

Port Grimaud is an extraordinary development, with over 2,000 berths over three marinas connected by a clever network of canals, bridges and man-made islands. Often likened to Venice for its canal layout, this port was designed around 1962 by a renowned French architect, Fran?ois Spoerry who decided he wanted to build a marina and Provencal village on seaside canals in the South.

Fran?ois Spoerry's was inspired by his trips to Greece and around the Mediterranean basin when he bought the initial 30-hectare land infested with mosquitoes where only duck hunting and agricultural activity were taking place. The soil made of sand was ideal for the foundations, and the adjacent La Giscle river, helped flush the canals, maintaining a natural water circulation.

Most of the works were conducted in the dry, with sheet piles used to build the islands. A large number of existing pine trees have been incorporated in the construction phase to add some greenery. Port Grimaud has been promoting sustainability and green means of maritime transport in the form of water taxis which are propelled with electricity produced by the photovoltaic panels placed on their roofs (Coches d'Eau à propulsion électrique (hpco.fr)).

The first houses were completed in July 1967, and the project became be a huge popular success and a benchmark for waterfront developments around the world. It is a brilliant example of residential type marina with style and character.

Marines de Cogolin

Les Marines de Cogolin are adjacent to Port Grimaud, on the south side of La Giscle river. Composed of three large basins, the marina represents a spacious basin able to accommodate 1,600 boats.

Between 1964 and 1967, the first phase of construction began with the deepening of a pond and the development of a shipyard area, in the existing marshy area. In 1968, studies by the maritime service and the intervention of the architect Jean Dimitrijevic enabled the area to be enlarged to 23 hectares. A year later, three port basins were created, surrounded by so-called villages or marine residences. In 1970, boaters were welcomed to the marina while land works got fully completed in 1982.

Departing from the orthogonality, the imposing linear platforms and the construction on the seafront, the marina type is more holiday/ resort driven and tries to bring an alternative to Port Grimaud considered too space consuming with its terraced houses.

Sainte-Maxime

In the eighteenth century, Sainte-Maxime was a modest commercial port. Wine, oil, cork, wood, grains and vegetables were loaded onto the "tartanes" (small cargo boats). At the end of the 1930s, the commercial port gave way to the marina. Upgraded in 1972, Sainte-Maxime marina can now accommodate 800 berths across two basins.

The area is of historical significance, since, on 15 August 1944, it was at the centre of Operation Dragoon, the liberation of Southern France during World War II. The 45th Infantry Division, landed at “Delta Beach” near Sainte-Maxime. After fierce house-to-house fighting the Germans were defeated and eventually surrendered.

Sainte Maxime is a commercial type of marina with simple, yet efficient layout delineated by two long breakwaters and a central area including the yacht club and businesses.

Saint-Tropez

One of the most wanted marinas of the?French Riviera. Saint Tropez is well-known for its rich nightlife but also for its cultural inheritance. The Citadel of Saint Tropez is one of the main attractions in town, as well as the Chapelle Sainte Anne or the Eglise Notre Dame de l'Assomption.

With 730 berths divided in two basins, it is a coveted port of call in the Mediterranean Sea. Innovation, top quality services and VIP yachts have made it one of the most famous marinas in the world. Nested in the city, the Old Port featured in many French films with big names headlining like Brigitte Bardot and Louis de Funès. Who has not watched the world famous tv series “Sous le Soleil”? A local soap opera of 480 episodes between 1996 and 2008…

Historically, the marina has always been an integral part of the town. Over the centuries, it has played a dominant role in several fields: as a fishing port, trading port, and now a cityhub, a catalyst for tourism, events and creativity.

Even if you are not fazed by the superyachts and the luxury shops, the Old Port and its colourful streets still delivers a great summer atmosphere. Colours and smells mix well to take you to a different universe where Leonardo DiCaprio could be eating a “salade ni?oise” next to you…

Summary

Let me start with the challenges I have identified during these short visits. The first one being road access and carparks. The small roads are known to get congested in the summer when the number of users soars. Carparks take a large amount of space in the towns, space which could be used for better purposes.

Longer term infrastructure challenges are likely to be related to climate change (sea level rise and flood risk), energy supply for the boats with potential switch to electricity or green fuels, as well as need to accommodate more boats and larger superyachts. Most marinas can accommodate superyachts up to 50m but rarely beyond. On my way to Saint-Tropez a few superyachts were anchored outside the port, including the majestic AHPO, a “floating five-star resort” measuring 115m long!

I enjoyed sailing around the marinas on the small ferries called “bateaux verts". As well as the water mobility aspect, I liked the cultural heritage and was positively surprised by the extents of the forest “Massif des Maures” around the towns. The marinas of the Golfe de Saint Tropez keep on enhancing their facilities and introducing environmental measures like the "Clean Ports" label (“Ports Propres”) which is also positive.

The marinas of the Golfe de Saint-Tropez work well together with their specific configurations and styles, they are good examples of different types of boating infrastructure - residential, resort, commercial and cityhub driven assets.

Disclaimer: All views expressed here are my own and not the views of my current employer.