Port Leucate
Port Leucate is a large, modern, purpose built marina on the south west France Mediterranean coast. The western side of the Golfe du Lion is pretty flat and featureless between Marseille and the Spanish border just south of Banyuls-Sur-Mer, hence there are a number of marinas along this stretch of coastline. Port Leucate town sits on a narrow piece of land running along the coast, with the large Étang de Leucate behind it where the famous, and delicious, Leucate oysters and other seafood are harvested. The old village of Leucate is on the hillside at the northern end of the Étang. In the 16th century, Leucate was on the frontier between France and Spain and the ruins of the strategically-placed castle are worth a trip.
Port Leucate is well protected, even from the infamous Tramontane winds which whip up a frenzy all along this part of the coast. They occur with a low pressure over central France which squeezes air in between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, accelerating it to gale force, often more and for several days at a time. The swell it induces is felt as far away as Minorca and Majorca to the south and Corsica to the east. We have recorded 62 knots in the harbour, but with the pile moorings and nine warps out we sat beautifully secure! The outer pontoons, including the visitors’ pontoon, feel the brunt of the Tramontane, but are still a far better option than being out in the shallow Golfe du Lion where the wind-driven waves soon pile into a nasty, short chop. By the way, the Golfe du Lion is the part of the Mediterranean that records the most number of gales annually; it is a sea area to be respected and takes some planning to cross.
The marina itself is spacious, safe and located around the main parts of the town. There are two big chandleries, a sail loft and a number of smaller engine, electric, maintenance and painting companies. The Capitainnerie are helpful, and will give you access to the two large, clean ablutions blocks through the use of an app and bluetooth connection. It works well but you do need a mobile signal. Electricity and water to every berth, laundrette by the Capitainnerie. There is a 50 tonne travel lift, but it’s just slightly too narrow for us although will take most catamarans under 55 feet. The larger berths are generally pile berths - ie two stout piles at the entrance to each berth around which a mooring line is passed from the bow, or bows in the case of multihulls. We had not used this set up before, but after a little nervousness and talking it through with the berth concessionaire, it is perfectly possible to manage with just two people.
If you own a multihull, Emeraude Multicoques are a specialist multihull agent and have offices in the port. They are partnered with Azure Boat Services just down the coast in Canet-en-Roussillon, and between them offer an impressive array of sales and maintenance services. They have carved out a reputation for knowing Neel trimarans, and we have had nothing but a positive experience with them both, including new solar panels fitted, several metalwork projects, a few electrical jobs and a rigging check. Emeraude also run a number of the multihull berths on longer term basis, and the price is pretty decent. We kept Skylark in Port Leucate (where she was lying when we bought her) for our first year just to give us options if the sailing didn’t work out or we had problems with the boat.
It’s worth noting that the town essentially closes during the winter, with only a handful of restaurants and shops remaining open. Port Leucate is a French holiday centre, so by April most things are up and running for the season. But it has everything you need, even in the low season, including a weekly market, a Lidl supermarket, a Casino minimart and a very good boulangerie and cheese shop - what else! Perpignan airport is about 20 minutes by taxi, Montpellier about an hour, and the TGV train runs along the coast between the two cities with a stop just outside the old village of Leucate - 10 minutes by taxi to the port. Sure, it can’t compete with the glamour of Monaco, or the bustle of Marseille, but then again it doesn’t charge their prices either!
