There are no moorings at Arromanches, no marina, few facilities and precious little shelter. But in settled weather it makes a fascinating stop for a few hours, or even overnight.

The big draw is the remains of the Mulberry Harbour. On 6th June 1944 Allied forces began to land on the Normandy beaches, and to keep them supplied two artificial harbours were constructed out of concrete caissons manufactured in England and towed across the Channel to form breakwaters at Arromanches and on Omaha beach further west. The Omaha Mulberry was destroyed in a storm only a few days after it was built. But at Arromanches the remains of the breakwaters are still there offering an unsurpassable prop to the imagination.

Not surprisingly, the area is strewn with wrecks and other wartime detritus, not to mention the Rochers du Calvados just offshore to the east, so a careful approach is necessary.

Coming from the east it will be safest to steer outside the Plateau du Calvados up to 2 miles offshore and then head in towards the harbour from just east of the east cardinal buoy Harpagas. Coming from the west there are no serious obstacles apart from the wreck marked by the Harpagas buoy. The entrance to the harbour is marked by a pair of small unlit red and green buoys which lie almost north-south of one another.

Once inside, the recommended anchorage is a couple of cables to the west of the entrance, though it is possible to anchor in shallower water further in so long as you avoid the wrecks marked on the chart. Wherever you drop the hook make sure it is buoyed as it can easily get entangled by debris on the seabed.

If it’s a safe harbour rather than a history lesson you are looking for, then the obvious alternative is Port-en-Bessin about 5M west. Unusually for this coast, there is deepish water as far as the harbour entrance. Inside, the harbour dries and you will not want to make an approach until HW±2 when the lock into the inner harbour becomes operational. Facilities are designed more for commercial traffic than for pleasure craft, but the town is notably attractive.

© 2008 Yachtpilot