Sailing Brittany: Gulf of Morbihan, Quiberon and Belle-Île

Sailing in south Brittany is all about the tide. From Port du Crouesty you can ride the flood into the Gulf of Morbihan, a small inland sea full of islands, then cross Quiberon Bay to the islands of Houat and Hoëdic and on to Belle-Île. A week here means short legs of 4 to 17 nautical miles, harbours and buoy fields rather than wild anchorages, and daily planning around tide tables, tidal coefficients and the Atlantic forecast.

Where to charter a yacht for the Gulf of Morbihan and Quiberon Bay?

The base for this loop is Port du Crouesty in Arzon, facing Quiberon Bay beside the entrance to the Gulf. Compare charter yachts in Arzon (Port du Crouesty), or see every base in the country on the France page. On Ship O'Hoi you can book a yacht bareboat or with a skipper. Charter weeks usually run Saturday to Saturday. For bareboat, the skipper needs a licence and experience the charter company accepts: read our guides to the boat licence in France and the ICC certificate. If nobody on board has one, hire a skipper.

A 7-day sailing itinerary from Port du Crouesty

This loop starts and ends in Crouesty. You take over the boat on Saturday and spend the first night in the marina, then sail Sunday to Friday. Distances are rough chart estimates. Plan every leg with the official charts (SHOM chart 7137 L covers the Gulf), a pilot book, the tide tables and the morning forecast.

Day 1–2: Crouesty into the Gulf to Île aux Moines

Approx. 7 nm. Leave Crouesty, round Port-Navalo and enter the Gulf through its narrow mouth between Port-Navalo and Locmariaquer. The Gulf is about 20 km long and 15 km wide, dotted with dozens of islands, and the stream at La Jument, inside it, sometimes runs at more than 9 knots, one of the fastest in Europe. Overnight in Port du Lério on Île aux Moines, run by the Compagnie des Ports du Morbihan. The mairie warns that demand for places is very high in season. Tip: enter on the flood, using the SHOM tide times for Port-Navalo, and never push against the ebb.

Day 3: Île aux Moines past Île d'Arz and out to Houat

Approx. 14 nm, or about 18 nm with the detour. Motor-sail past Île d'Arz, then leave the Gulf on the ebb and cross to Houat. Île d'Arz has only six visitor moorings, for boats up to 12 m and/or 6 tonnes, and you must book them with the mairie, so most charter yachts look at it from the water. Overnight at Houat's harbour, Port Saint-Gildas. The mairie lists 25 to 30 moorings and individual buoys, a pleasure harbour open from 1 April to 30 September, and a harbour office on VHF channel 9. Tip: the harbour is shallow (about 0.5 m at chart datum in the middle, 1.2 m along the breakwater), so deeper yachts use the moorings outside, where there are 2 m or more.

Day 4: Houat to Hoëdic

Approx. 4 nm, a short hop to the smaller island just south-east of Houat, with time for a swim and a walk. Overnight in Port de l'Argol on the north coast. According to the island's own site, it has about a hundred places spread over a pontoon, mooring buoys and a seasonal pontoon for small boats. The old harbour, Port de la Croix, has mooring buoys but dries at low tide. Tip: on Houat, anchoring is banned off the beaches of Treac'h er Goured and Treac'h er Salus because of underwater cables, so check the chart before you stop for lunch.

Day 5: Hoëdic to Le Palais, Belle-Île

Approx. 12 nm across open water to Belle-Île. Overnight in Le Palais, the island's capital, where the Citadelle Vauban stands above the harbour. The outer harbour always has water and is well sheltered except from east to south-east. Visiting yachts raft up on buoys: 30 places along the north jetty (draft up to 3 m) and 35 along the breakwater (up to 2 m). The inner wet basin (bassin à flot) has 90 places on pontoons and is reached through a tidal gate that opens for about three hours on average. Tip: call the harbour office on VHF 9 before entering, and remember that cargo boats have priority at the starboard quay.

Day 6: Le Palais to Sauzon

Approx. 4 nm along the sheltered north-east coast of the island, with time to stop at the anchorage of Port Fouquet, which the tourist office describes as well sheltered from the north. Overnight in Sauzon, a small fishing and yachting harbour. There are 40 visitor places in the outer harbour, rafted on white buoys, for monohulls up to 12.5 m with a maximum draft of 2 m. The inner harbour, with 60 visitor places on red buoys, dries and suits only boats that can take the ground on hard bottoms. You may also anchor from the last line of buoys at the entrance of the Pen Prad basin. Tip: catamarans and larger yachts should call Sauzon on VHF 9 first, or stay in Le Palais.

Day 7: Sauzon through the Teignouse passage back to Crouesty

Approx. 17 nm. Cross north-east towards the Quiberon peninsula and enter Quiberon Bay through the Teignouse passage, the buoyed channel between the tip of the peninsula and Houat, marked by the Teignouse lighthouse. Then cross the bay to Crouesty. If time allows, detour to La Trinité-sur-Mer (about 7 nm more), home port of legendary ocean racers and giant racing trimarans. Its harbour is lit and buoyed and can be entered at any state of the tide with a draft under 3 m. Tip: the tidal streams run hard through the Teignouse, so pass with the stream and return the yacht to Crouesty on Friday evening.

Rules and safety in the Gulf of Morbihan and Quiberon Bay

• Tides and coefficients: the tidal range and the streams change from day to day. Tide times differ from place to place, so check each harbour (Port-Navalo, Le Crouesty, Le Palais, Houat, Hoëdic and La Trinité-sur-Mer are all on the list) and the tidal coefficient on the official SHOM tide website. A high coefficient means a big tide and stronger streams.
• Drying harbours: parts of Houat, Hoëdic, Sauzon and Le Palais dry or are shallow at low water. Check your draft with the harbour office first.
• Speed limits: the Préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique limits speed to 5 knots for all vessels within 300 m of the shore, measured from the waterline at that moment and also around islands and rocks (arrêté 2018/090, as amended by arrêté 2019/006). Sailing yachts and motorboats may not anchor, stop or sail inside marked swimming zones. The Gulf of Morbihan regional nature park's sea guide gives the limits in the Gulf as 5 knots within 300 m and 10 knots elsewhere. Up to 10 knots is allowed in the channels at Gavrinis, Port-Blanc, Pointe d'Arradon and Conleau.
• Protected areas: the Gulf is a regional nature park (created in 2014) and a marine protected area, with Natura 2000 sites managed by the park and the French Biodiversity Office. The park's rules: do not land between 15 April and 31 August on the islands and islets protected by a prefectoral biotope order (they are marked on the park's map), do not enter private islands, and do not go up the Vincin and Noyalo rivers. Fires, barbecues and wild camping are banned in the Gulf, including on the islands. The Gulf holds the second-largest seagrass meadow in France after Arcachon. The park asks you to use the organised mooring zones or to anchor outside the seagrass, where your anchor is also more likely to hold.
• Shellfish farms: oyster and mussel farms are marked with poles. Do not sail over them.
• Weather: Brittany has an oceanic climate shaped by weather systems coming in from the Atlantic, according to Météo-France. Read the Météo-France coastal forecast for the zone Penmarc'h to Anse de l'Aiguillon every morning. On Belle-Île's exposed Côte Sauvage, the tourist office warns that coves such as Kérel become very rough in a big westerly swell.
• Emergencies: at sea, call the CROSS on VHF channel 16. From the shore, dial 196, the free number that reaches the CROSS 24 hours a day (mer.gouv.fr). The rescue centre for this coast is CROSS Étel, in Morbihan. Météo-France's special weather bulletins are also broadcast on channel 16.
• Licence: in France a sailing yacht needs no licence at sea, whatever its size. A motorboat over 4.5 kW (6 hp) needs one: the French permis plaisance or a valid licence from your own country, within its limits. For bareboat charter the company still asks for proof of experience (a sailing CV, often a licence or ICC) and can require a skipper. With a skipper you need none. See our boat licence in France guide.

Best time to sail the Gulf of Morbihan and Belle-Île

The sailing season in south Brittany runs from June to September. Houat's pleasure harbour opens from 1 April to 30 September, and the harbour offices at Crouesty and Île aux Moines keep their longest hours in July and August, the high season. June and September are quieter. Météo-France notes that Brittany's rain comes with Atlantic weather systems and peaks slightly from October to February. Whatever the month, check the forecast and the tide coefficients before you plan the week.

FAQ

Is the Gulf of Morbihan difficult to sail?

It needs care and tidal know-how. The streams are very strong, sandbanks shift, and there are shellfish farms and a lot of boats. If you are new to tides, hire a skipper.

How do I time the entrance at Port-Navalo?

Check the tide times and coefficient for Port-Navalo on the SHOM website, enter with the flood and leave with the ebb. At high coefficients the streams are stronger, so leave more margin.

Can I anchor anywhere in the Gulf?

No. Marked swimming zones and the no-anchoring zones on the park's map are off limits, and the park asks you to keep out of the seagrass. Use harbours, visitor buoys or the organised mooring zones.

Can a catamaran use the island harbours?

Often, but check first. Sauzon's outer harbour takes monohulls only, and Île d'Arz's visitor moorings are limited to 12 m and 6 tonnes. Crouesty, La Trinité-sur-Mer and the outer harbour of Le Palais are the safer bets for larger boats. Call ahead on VHF 9.

For more French sailing areas, see our guide to sailing in France, and before you go, read what to bring on a yacht charter.