L’Aber-Wrach is a nice marina and ideally suited as a stopover before going “around the corner” to the Chenal du Four. To the East, the closest marina is Roscoff which is approx 27nm away, so L’Aber-Wrach nicely fills the gap. The next marinas around the corner are L’Aber Ildut / Brest / Camaret. L’Aber Wrach is good for fuel.

If this is your first port of call from outside of the Schengen area, we understand it is listed as Landéda in the Official Information from the authorities and does appear to be part of the new regulations.

For first timers – by Gavin May

So, skipper, you have decided to sail on west and off the face of the world?  Well, it may feel that way as you head for ever west for the first time! Seas are very likely to kick up for quite some miles around Iles de Batz, but hopefully settle a little after. First time, take the easy route into L’Aber Wrach via Grand Chenal.  Early June and the dory was still hard at work at 8 pm, but note that there is a heavy stream of vessels arriving so don’t assume the visitors pontoon is for you- they get some large sailing vessels in. Call VHF 09. Do not miss the red bouy just as you approach the marina, and the large red and white bouy is a heavy-duty mooring bouy for heavy-duty vessels. When heading on west,  off  Roches de Portsall the seas usually pick up with the increased currents, and the merger of various tidal streams at the top of  Chenal de Four can make for very confused seas in mixed weather. Hopefully, better in the Chenal which in itself isn’t much of an issue with two throttles under your wrist. Personally,  I would leave a bit of distance from well established waypoints as there may be a bit of congestion, and the  Chenal is wide enough not to rock other boats with your wake! At Le Conquet things can kick up a bit so jostle your tidal times and streams from L’Aber Wrach and on to suit.

Unless you are totally bilingual, contact the port in English!

Update 2024

The small tourist desk has gone, I am afraid. Facilities, unchanged- it is still bring your own toilet seat!  Maybe not new, but there is a hotel/restaurant ¼  mile west that has fine views across the waters. There is a bike hire outfit on site.

Fuel June 2024,  Euro 1.91

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YouTube video of Echo Beach leaving L’Aber Wrach in 2019 – youtu.be/qXHwea1Dm04

We visited L’Aber Wrach in May 2017 and again in May 2019. The marina office was very helpful and they were good at responding to our e-mails prior to our visit.

Access through the west channel from Libenter is simple. The northern passage looks more difficult, especially at low tide.

On arrival at the marina, beware of the area to the left as you go in. There is a sign and some yellow buoys which mark a rock on the left as you go in, so best avoid that area.

Visitors moor on the breakwater pontoon on the right as you go in. Boats moor on the inside or the outside of the breakwater although the outside is more exposed to the elements. Although the breakwater is substantial, it does actually float. This does mean the tide passes underneath it and there can be quite a flow when mooring mid-tide as the water passes through the marina. It also means there is a lot of weed at the northern end by the ramp when the tide flows north.

Boats do moor on the inside and the outside of the breakwater pontoon. They also moor on the moor southerly pontoon past the rock and there are some mooring buoys in the channel. Be aware that fishing boats go too fast past the outside moorings and can create a large wash. So make sure you are well fendered.

The authorities should do more to try to get the boats leaving the marina and going past the marina to slow down. It can be a problem.

 

Electric and water are good. All the pontoons have good security except for the visitor’s pontoon and it is a few mins walk to the marina office and the facilities.

The facilities are OK. No toilet seats , but the showers are good and are included in the price so you do not need a jeton.

Fuel was Euro 1.404 a litre in 2017 which was expensive for diesel at the time. It is a modern pump with a very good credit card machine which displays in French and English. It will deliver up to Euro400 (Euro300 in 2019) worth at a time. You then have to put the nozzle back in the pump otherwise it will not give you the option for diesel. It charges you for what you use up to Euro400 each time.

This is stunning and a little unfair to think of it as only a staging post. The lovely estuary is a little reminiscent in spirit of the Camel and Rock with lots of small scale sailing schools, kayaks, small Hobbies and so on. A number of restaurants and bars right on the marina, but a still simple place. Bread possibly from Cafe du Port, but little in the way of provisions shopping, though there is a small supermarket up the hill. No doubt in good weather everyone is keen to move north or south but you could spend a very relaxed time here forgetting the woes of the world.

The main channel in is the easy one for obvious reasons though it seems a long way further from the east. We came in via Chenal de Malouine and this is tiny indeed with rocks NO distance either side. Fine in perfect weather and enough power but I would think a boat wrecker for the unwary in anything else.

In HM office also has an information desk with bus times, walks etc. The never-ending GR34 out westwards provides a truly stunning seascape at low tide, though that does mean you also reach Benoit river at low tide. Do walk at least as far as St Martine dunes, though take a short cut towards the “old Chapel” to save many km of zigzagging the coastline! Lots of walk info available.

Gavin May kindly provided the above report – 2021

Gavin May report 2022

Timeless as ever, but don’t take an empty space on the Visitors’ pontoon but call VHF 09 as you might get moved to a finger, and they may need that space for the bigger yachts. In high season it was seriously busy with plenty of us rafting up next to the fishing fleet.

Official site – www.port-aberwrach.com

Also see www.svdalliance.com/France%202.htm

Wikipedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aber_Wrac%27h

Pilot Guide – 

www.allweathercharts.com/record.cfm?i_st…

www.sail-the-net.com/marinas/europe/fran……

Contact information

E-mail: Aberwrach [at] bretagne-ouest.cci.bzh

Tel:   +33 2 98 04 91 62
Fax:   +33 2 98 04 90 87

Tides – tide.frbateaux.net/74

Map – marinas.com/view/marina/8168_L%27Aberwra…

Weather –  www.windguru.com/int/index.php?sc=48440

Webcam – www.port-aberwrach.com/livecam/

Restaurants – you need to search under Landeda – www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g67300…

The Cafe du Port is also reported to be a good place to visit.