Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône nach Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, lehen Etappe im Mittelmeer

As the destination of the first stage at sea, we have set Port Gardian in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

Contrary to the forecast, the wind was significantly stronger than when we left the port early. We had planned our arrival between 12:00 and 13:00. After about 6 km of port canal with 5 knots, we entered the bay with a view of Marseille and the Côte d'Azur. Looking ahead, on the side, we could see the ports of Port-Saint-Louis and Port-de-Bouc.

The sea was calm and we made good progress, passing the mouth of the Rhone.

Along the coast, there were seamless fishing nets. At first, I tried to understand the system and avoid the fields, but after observing that the sailors with much deeper drafts like our Gustav were crossing through, I still made the effort to locate the boundaries but no longer avoid them.

At sea, the wind strength matched what we had planned based on the forecast, and the wind consistently increased, so we arrived in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer with about 12-14 knots of wind.

The mooring places were berths with posts and mooring rings. Since it is difficult for us to disembark through the bow, mooring is challenging.

The port crew takes their lunch break between 12:00 and 14:00, so we took the opportunity to recognize and secure the last available place alongside the quay when entering the port.

After lunch, there was suddenly a lot of activity. The entire port crew was on the dock, and we quickly understood what had happened. There were about 10-15 sailors in front of the port, presumably all registered, and they were assigned their berths.

By now, we had 12-15 knots of wind, and when entering the berth, it was challenging to maneuver with the wind pushing against us. Most people also tried in reverse.

With good distance and visibility, we were able to observe all the mooring attempts. Since we had never moored with the wind pushing against us at 15 knots, we had great respect for the conditions.

It was like a game of sailboat skittles, one ship after another getting knocked around. The port crew provided active support, but I couldn't help feeling that they didn't care as long as they had their ship secured and the next one arrived.

Then off to the capitainerie for formalities and payment.

After this interlude, we decided to go to the town. There was a gathering of tourists in the old town who were brought in by buses from the surrounding area to visit the place. There were souvenir shops lined up like pearls on a necklace, offering regional crafts, spices and salt from the Camargue, Marseille soap, wine from France, and more.

Since we are traveling outside of the high season, the hustle and bustle is still limited. The town has charm, and the Sanctuaire des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer - Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer is impressive.

We decided to have a small meal since the kitchen on the Gustav remains cold. After all, we want to continue our journey to Sete at 6:30 the next morning.