Received from ChaliVentures III on 8th June 2014

Our boat spent the winter of 2013-2014 in Gruissan, France in the Nautiland Yard. (www.nautiland.fr)  Our decision was largely influenced by previous Noonsite reports on Nautiland (below), and we just wanted to agree with that positive assessment and update it with our own 2 cents.

Happily, the yard is still run by Pierre and Maryvonne Six (nautiland11@wanadoo.fr).  Pierre manages the boats, while (English-speaking) Maryvonne manages the chandlery (accastillage).   If there’s something she doesn’t have in stock, she can order it for you quickly.    It’s a great place to do your own work, or there are plenty of contractors in the area to hire, and Maryvonne will connect you… whether it’s a plumber, a sailmaker, mechanic, etc.  There are 3 other accastillages in the Port Sec (dry dock area), plus numerous service providers, so you should be able to find everything you need.  For a boatyard, it’s also relatively clean.  It’s also VERY secure.  Nobody even locked their bikes!!!

We were a little worried about the treacherous tramontane winds blowing our boat over, but that worry was unfounded.  However, it’s definitely a place where you remove ALL sails and canvas for the winter!    The boat was perfectly secure on the hard.   And if you prefer NOT living on the boat for those few days when it’s just been hauled out or about to be launched, Maryvonne knows a man who owns a couple of apartments nearby that he rents out for very attractive rates.

The yard is just a little outside of the lovely little town of Gruissan, but close by there is a little grocery store — an epicerie — where you can get your daily baguette or flute, and which also has the best rotisserie chicken we’ve ever eaten! (lunchtime only, and best to order one when you pick up your baguette in the morning!)    There is a Lidl’s nearby, a fresh food market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, lots of restaurants (best ones are in downtown Gruissan, NOT the waterfront; we really liked “The Plan”.)   If you need anything else, there’s a bus stop close by to take you into Narbonne, where there’s a huge Carrefour Commercial Center with a giant supermarket and hardware “Home Depot” kind of store. There’s also a French SFR phone/internet outlet to get your local SIM card, if necessary.    For those of us without our own automatic washing machines onboard, there’s a laverie (laundromat) very close to the boatyard.   All in all, a very convenient place.   Having a bike definitely facilitates getting to where you need to go QUICKLY, but it’s a small enough place that you can walk everywhere.

We flew in and out of the Montpelier airport which is about an hour away.  The train station is in Narbonne that will take you anywhere.

We definitely give Nautiland a thumbs up!

Yacht: ChaliVentures III|

Captains:  Alison and Chuck Spinney

Nationality:  USA

Received from John Dinsmoor on 16th May 2010

The previous posting on Noonsite regarding the service at Nautiland in Gruissan, France was an understatement.

We hauled out here last October and stored on the hard until May when we returned from the USA to re-launch. There are many good things about this location for those considering where to store their boat for the winter. The travel lift is new and big (50ton). The Nautiland yard uses only top grade stands/cradles–not the individual tripods used elsewhere. The boats are stored next to the Nautiland chandlery which is well stocked. There is inside storage also available. The haul/store/launch fees are very affordable and in fact some of the lowest we have found ( about 2500E for 6 months for 15m LOA yacht).

There is a modest hotel 200 yards from the boats and chandlery. Rooms are about 65E per night, they have free internet, a small bar and restaurant. Continental Breakfast is available for 8E per day. This hotel was very convenient for transitioning on or off the boat and gave us a place to stay while we painted and prepped the boat for re-launch. Nautiland allows DIY boat maintenance. Nautiland will set you up with a temporary berth until you are ready to shove off. There are also half a dozen nautical service companies in the same complex. The immediate area has several good size supermarkets and many cafes and restaurants, all walking distance from the yard.

There is a bus service to Narbonne that runs about every hour from Gruissan and costs one euro each way. Narbonne is a larger city with more shopping, including a very large Carrefour and a really good ” Home Depot” type store next door. The bus will take you by the Carrefour and ultimately right to the main rail station that has train service to the rest of Europe. Across from the rail station are several car rental companies including Hertz and Europcar. We were able to book a car online, take the bus to town and pick-up the car in less than an hour.

The best part of this location (for those lacking in their foreign language skills) are the owners of Nautiland: Pierre & Maryvonne Six. Maryvonne speaks English very well and has over 30 years experience in the chandlery business and also 6-7 years worldwide cruising experience. She and Pierre really know their business and are very helpful with anything you ask. They are able to coordinate just about any repair, service, or procurement of replacement parts you could imagine.

The worst part of this location: it can get very windy due to the “Tramontana” wind.

I am very glad I read and followed the recommendation made by the original post on noonsite in June of 2009.

John Dinsmoor

S/V Jay Sea Dee

Island Packet 485

USA

Received from SV Mintaka II 16th June 2009

For any English speaking boats looking for a place for winter hardstand storage along the south coast of France, we would like to make known and recommend the Nautiland yard at Gruissan.

www.nautiland.fr

email:nautiland11@wanadoo.fr

phone/fax: 04.68.43.15.81

Pierre and Maryvonne Six have circumnavigated in their yacht and now run a chandlery and hardstand storage facility in the Gruissan “Zone Technique”.

They are very friendly and helpful to cruisers passing through and certainly made our wintering experience this year the best we have had in the Med. (Wintered in Turkey, Malta, N. Italy & Gruissan.) Maryvonne speaks English fluently, as well as some German and Spanish we believe.

The Gruissan area is very nice and very friendly. There is a good bus service to Narbonne, which has excellent provisioning, is an interesting town to visit, and is on the main train line to anywhere in France. The airport at Carcassonne is a 30 min train ride from Narbonne.

Dave & Joanne George

SV Mintaka II

Australia