Port-Camargue is a district of the town of
Le Grau-du-Roi
Le Grau-du-Roi (; oc, Lo Grau dau Rei) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It is the only commune in Gard to have a frontage on the Mediterranean. To the west is the Herault department and La Grande-Motte village, and to th ...
, in the
Gard
Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;[administrative region
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...]
of
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occità nia ; ca, Occità nia ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
. Built in the 1960s, it is today one of the biggest marinas in Europe.
Quels sont les plus grands ports de France
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History
In 1963, the Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), with the assistance of Jean Bastide
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
, launched the project to build a new marina on the Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
coast, as part of the Racine mission. The architect selected was Jean Balladur
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
, who also drew up the plans for La Grande-Motte
La Grande-Motte (; oc, La Mota Granda) is a commune in the Hérault département in Occitanie in southern France. It is a popular seaside resort and port, built in the 1960s and 1970s. La Grande-Motte is characterized by homogeneous architecture ...
. Its construction began in 1969 with the creation of ponds, quays and piers. Then the first marinas were built. In 1974, the harbor office appeared. In 1980, the second phase of work concerning marinas was launched and in 1985 the initial CCI construction plan. Since then, under market pressure, town planning has continued to evolve with the construction of many additional marinas, apartments and villas. His Régie was chaired by Étienne Mourrut
Étienne Mourrut (4 December 1939 - 19 October 2014) was a French politician.
A member of the Rally for the Republic, RPR and the Union for a Popular Movement, UMP, he was deputy of the Gard's 2nd constituency, 2nd District of the Gard between ...
when he was mayor of Le Grau-du-Roi .
Economy
With 4,600 berths, Port-Camargue is one of the top marinas in Europe. More and more permanent residents live there and commercial activity has intensified, with more than a hundred shops. Tourism, along with yachting and boating, is the essence of the economy of Port-Camargue.
Note, moreover, the presence near Port-Camargue of numerous campsites and vast beaches (including that of Espiguette
The Pointe de l'Espiguette is a vast dune system located on the Mediterranean coast of the Gard department in France.
It is east of Le Grau-du-Roi and west of the Petit-Rhône, in the Petite Camargue region. The dune system is almost 18 kilo ...
, which extends to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (, lit.: "Saint Marys of the Sea"; Provençal Occitan: ''Li Santi Mario de la Mar'') is the capital of the Camargue ( Provençal Occitan ''Camarga'') in the south of France. It is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône dep ...
).
Navigation and nautical information
Access to the marina is by a channel open to the northwest, in an axis leaving little room for swell. The bottom is sandy and dredged on average at 5 metres. Landing under sail in fairly strong mistral weather can be difficult but without any major risks.
Note the presence for the arrival from the south of wave buoys opposite the Pointe de l'Espiguette. These are sometimes removed for maintenance reasons. They make it possible to indicate the limit of the area of sandbanks bordering along the beaches of the bay. When navigating nearby, the use of the depth sounder is highly recommended. Most of the rocky sand bars extend underwater for more than ten meters. Avoid approaching them too closely.
The harbor master's office is on (almost) permanent standby on channel 9 and can be reached by telephone. Refueling is possible; the station is located after the reception area, following the most northerly channel (to port). Finally, note the presence of an SNSM speedboat, two sailing schools and a UCPA center.
Gallery
Image:France Port Camargue Escale Port.jpg, Résidence l'Escale Port
Image:France Port Camargue Les Arpeges.JPG, Marina Les Arpèges
Image:France Port Camargue Quai Ulysse Plage.JPG, Quais de la marina Ulysse Plage
Image:France Port Camargue Nirvana.JPG, Marina Nirvana
Image:France Port Camargue Quai Bougainville.jpg, Quai Bougainville
Image:France Port Camargue Groupe Bel.JPG, Mise à l'eau du Groupe Bel
Image:France Port Camargue Le Meltemi.JPG, Le Meltemi à Port Camargue
References
{{Authority control
Tourist attractions in Nîmes
Le Grau-du-Roi
Marinas in France