St-Martin-de-Ré on île de Ré is without doubt the ‘jewel in the crown’ marina on the Atlantic coast and one must not be put off by the narrow entrance, high walls and tight bends, it’s worth it! It is one of the smaller marinas and one we were told that it was highly unlikely that we would get a pontoon and multi-rafting was inevitable.
We left it until the middle of September and gambled on most people being back at work, kids being back at school and that the majority of boat owners had already packed up for the season. For once, it all paid off. So having threaded ourselves around a few 90 degree turns, through a lock gate and past a swing bridge we turned the final bend into the basin expecting to see wall to wall boats. We gritted our teeth put out all the fenders turned to starboard and were faced with an empty basin and invited to take our pick – the place was near deserted.
With chic cafes and restaurants surrounding the marina and port, this is without doubt, the best place to sit with a drink and people watch. As the sun starts to dip, the street musicians ply their trade and the chilled wine slips down tasting slight better than the first carafe which merely got the dust out of one’s throat.
Our good friends and neighbours, Dot and Barry, took time from their French travels to join us for an epic very long lazy lunch on board. This eclipsed the 2022 lunch whilst anchored in the River Vilaine.
The following day we hired electric bikes as the island is a cycling mecca with cycle paths that travel deep into the countryside where the roads are not welcome. Small Oyster shacks invite you in with tempting plates of huitres and a glass if Muscadet with sea views to die for. Dot and Barry approached from the north whilst we approached from the south meeting at Ars-en-Ré. Bread was broken, drink was quaffed and a slightly less pace of cycling was achieved in the afternoon.
7th September 2023
Trip Mileage 17 miles
Mileage Completed 2250 miles