THE GRAND TOUR
In this month’s instalment of their Mediterranean loop, Thomas and Jutta Kittel explore the glorious Côte d’azur
Finally, the ever present Mistral wind takes a breather and lets us set sail for the Vieux Port of Marseille a day later than hoped. Guided in from afar by the Notre-dame de la Garde basilica perched high on a hill overlooking the city, we are grateful to be cruising once again. I last visited Marseille over 40 years ago and am pleasantly surprised by the changes. What used to be a dingy commercial port now turns out to be a huge, chic marina in the centre of the city. We are given a berth alongside in front of the old town hall, from where we can explore the city and its countless restaurants without exerting ourselves too heavily. Unfortunately, some things never change as we discover on our last evening in town when my brother-in-law’s wallet is stolen from a zippered pocket. After a rather frustrating visit to the police station and lost property office, we cut our losses and head back to the boat.
The following day, after another short hop along the coast in our Marlow 72, Azura, his phone rings unexpectedly. It’s the local German bank telling us that a woman has called to say that she’s found the wallet without cash but with all the credit cards still in it. So we jump in a cab and head back to Marseille to collect the wallet and my deposit for the port key, which I’d forgotten to pick up the previous day. Pleased to have got this sorted, we set off once again hoping to experience the more positive side of the legendary Côte d’azur.
The name (French for Blue Coast) is the creation of the poet Stéphen Liégeard, who published a book called
La Côte d’azur in 1887. However, opinions differ when it comes to the area it refers to. The narrowest definition covers only the coastline of the Département des Alpes-maritimes from the Pointe Notre Dame peninsula to Menton on the French-italian border. Other sources begin further west in St Tropez, Hyères, Toulon or even Cassis near Marseille.
FEELING THE BLUES
The Île des Embiez – our next port of call – could well qualify under that last definition. It’s a small island close to the mainland that can only be reached by ferry and has therefore retained its nicely secluded charm. It has belonged to the Ricard family since 1958, when Paul Ricard acquired and developed the island using the profits from his famous Ricard drink – an aniseed flavoured aperitif like Pernod or Pastis. There’s even a small vineyard on the island producing tasty whites and rosés.
On the way to Le Lavandou our electronics system starts playing up again with a new error message: “AIS SRM Alarm - Off Position”. A call to Raymarine in Hamburg assures us that it is a warning message from another ship and not
our system. On land we search in vain for the “Provençal charm” promised by our cruising guide but we do enjoy an excellent meal at Planches et Gamelles, whose speciality is a truly delicious lobster risotto.
The route from Le Lavandou to the Bay of St Tropez starts to ressemble an inland waterway.
Boat traffic increases exponentially the closer you get to St Tropez as does the size and power of the vessels – the more horsepower, the better. Nor do their owners seem to pay any regard to other water users – the shortest route is the best, even if that means tearing through a quiet anchorage.
The water in the bay never seems to settle down, regardless of the lack of wind, due to the constant wakes from power boats. Nobody needs that.
St Tropez itself tends to get very overcrowded in the summer months so we have chosen to berth in nearby Port Grimaud – a post-modern port that was built in the 1960s and has proved to be immensely successful. In the intervening 50 years it has acquired an additional natural patina that makes it even more attractive to tourists and visiting boats alike. Like many hotspots in the Mediterranean, Port Grimaud is on the verge of becoming a victim of its own success.
However, when we made our reservation we did not realise that there are three marinas in Port Grimaud. The one we call up on the VHF appears not to have a reservation from us and the one where we probably do have a berth reserved is not responding to our calls by phone or radio. So we end up in the neighbouring Port de Cogolin. We lower our tender and drive into Port Grimaud for shopping and sightseeing.
While we are having dinner on board, the marina staff untie our dinghy without saying a word and drag it round to the other side of our boat. Only when I ask what’s going on do they explain that they need the space for another incoming craft. I can understand that but with no crane on that side of our boat how are we supposed to recover the dinghy back on board? Reluctantly they bring the dinghy back to the other side where we hoist it on deck before our new neighbours squeeze into the berth next to us.
We spend a wonderfully mild summer evening on the flybridge waiting for the spectacle of the Blood Moon that the media has been hyping up for days. Typically, on this evening of all evenings, the clouds set in and we have to let our imaginations take over, although I manage to grab a half-decent photo before it disappears from view.
ATMOSPHERIC ANTIBES
And then comes Antibes! Booking a berth in Port Vauban was a bit tricky but after 8-10 calls to various people we are given a berth in the old part of the harbour or Port Vieux. And what a lovely spot it proves to be: easy access to the old town, a few short steps to the swimming beach and all the comforts of a large, modern marina – what more could you ask for?
Antibes enchants us with its easygoing vibe and distinctive maritime character. Despite its many appeals, it has managed to retain a more down-to-earth feel than its glitzier neighbours. The chichi factor of St Tropez and Cannes is gratifyingly absent and we instantly feel at home here, prompting us to extend our stay.
The Port Vieux in Nice – our next port of call – offers a complete contrast. It dominates all
aspects of life in the city from the big ferries shuttling back and forth to Corsica, to tourist trip boats, diving vessels and fishing trawlers, it has everything a port can offer. Like a never-ending wide screen movie, there is always something to watch in a busy working harbour such as this. We are also treated to a fabulous dinner by a former boss of mine in his wonderful villa – an evening to remember in every regard.
Before we leave Nice, the 84m superyacht Savannah owned by the Swedish billionaire Lukas Lundin casts off. This protracted event requires all pleasure craft in the area to remain on standby to release their mooring lines if necessary. This unprecedented measure may be due to an accident that is said to have taken place here some time ago when a large ship got tangled in the mooring lines of neighbouring vessels causing substantial damage to a number of boats.
MONTE CARLO OR BUST
Everything goes smoothly today and we too depart for Monaco after being released by Port Control. We pass the huge cruise ship Celebrity
Reflection in the bay of Villefranche-sur-mer (1,250 crew and 3,000 passengers) and travel along the coast past Cap Ferrat and Cap d’ail to Port Hercule in the Principality of Monaco.
Despite our modest dimensions compared to some of the local superyachts, we are welcomed very courteously by the capitainerie and receive a very favourable berth. When dawn arrives the following morning Monaco is revealed in all its glory. The rising sun bathes the superyachts in soft yellow light and even the characterless high-rise buildings turn into shimmering trees of glass.
It is easy to forget that Monaco is not part of France and certainly not part of the EU but we soon get a reminder that this is its own small sovereign state. As we are preparing to leave the next morning, the Monegasque police pay us a visit on their bikes and ask us to check in at the nearby office where we must present our ship’s papers and passports. When the cheerless official returns our identity cards and requests our passports instead, there is a notable air of irritation in his voice. Finally, he accepts our documents and we are free to leave.
The weather has become unbearably muggy. In addition to the expected August heat there is an unusually high level of moisture in the air. At daybreak in Monaco we measure an almost unbelievable 91% humidity! You don’t even have to move to break out in a sweat so we are grateful for every breath of wind on the onward journey to Menton.
This charming French-italian border town, which over the course of history has changed hands several times between the two neighbouring countries, is extremely attractive and still offers a sympathetic mix of both French and Italian cultures. Here you can eat, shop, hike or just relax. The large Marina Port Garavan, located east of the old port, is expecting us and will also be our winter stopover this year once we’ve completed our next leg to Corsica and back.
COUNTING THE COST
Looking back at the Côte d’azur, the most surprising thing was the price of the marinas. We had expected it to be the most expensive leg of our Mediterranean tour but we were pleasantly surprised. Despite the big names, the price of the visitors’ berths were well below the Costa Brava and almost half that of the
Balearics. From our experience modern day pirates now ply their trade on islands rather than boats – an impression that will soon be confirmed on our tour of Corsica. In this regard, we can thoroughly recommend the Côte d’azur – and not just for its reasonable pricing. As the name suggests it really is a beautiful blue coastline that stands comparison with anywhere in the Mediterranean.
The sun bathes the superyachts in soft yellow light; high-rise buildings turn into shimmering trees of glass