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Port Camargue-The amphibious Resort
This amphibious town of Port Camargue, devoted entirely to water sports, rose up from virgin sand in 1968. Today it is not only Europe's top marina but well-known throughout the whole world.
Europe's top marina. "We could claim that Port Camargue is Switzerland's top port! " says Bernard Suzzarini, Port Camargue's communications and promotions manager. This aquatic town, devoted entirely to sailing, came into being in the early 1960s, developed under "Mission Racine" (Mission Interministérielle d'Aménagement Touristique du Littoral Languedoc-Roussillon) - a project to develop the Languedoc-Roussillon coast for tourism. Initially, Gard was not included. But as le Grau du Roi (the commune that includes Port Camargue) was silting up, the decision was made to build a sea wall. The mayor of le Grau and the Nîmes CCI (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) agreed to set up Port Camargue. They would build a protective structure and take the opportunity to develop a marina at the same time. Nowadays we do see local decisions prevailing over regionalisation.
They then had to dredge 240 hectares of marshland for this extremely ambitious project; an aquatic town, made up of marinas where you can move around either along the waterways or along roads on dry land. Work began in 1969 under the direction of the architect Jean Balladur (he was also responsible for the plans for La Grande Motte). This work took ten years. The initial plan was for 2,500 marinas and 4,500 flats. 4.650 mooring posts were planned: today there are 5.000. Port Camargue stretches over an area of 140 hectares, of which 78 hectares are areas of water. The minimum depth is three metres. "The pleasure boats using Port Camargue are mainly medium-sized ones, from 16 to 22 metres. 30 % of the visitors are from abroad making it Europe's top port. These tourists come mainly from Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany" explains Bernard Suzzarini, "and The Rhône Valley axis provides speedy access to the resort. For example, Geneva is 3hours 30minutes from Port Camargue." Nîmes airport and the low-cost airlines make this a more attractive destination for foreigners. Port Camargue is ideally located for sailors, halfway between Corsica and the Balearic Islands. When an Easterly wind blows across the Camargue, this is the only safe haven because the Pointe de l’Espiguette protects what used to be known as the "Baie du Repos". But watch out for the sandbanks as you come round the curve of l’Espiguette! Keep well away from the edge before you turn into the channel.
The gamble has paid off for Port Camargue. Grau du Roi is no longer silted up and the resort has terrific visitor figures. As it is, there are no vacancies here. There is a waiting list for moorings. There are those who criticise Port Camargue for being a "concrete jungle" but the port can counter that with a list of "good points": It has received a Pavillon bleu environmental award every year since it was built and has been put forward as a pilot town for "opération Port propre" ( A Clean Port Campaign). And the icing on the cake is that 60 businesses take year-long leases on the site, including 38 ships' chandlers! – this makes Port Camargue the top technical centre, on the French Mediterranean coast, for the maintenance of boats up to 30 metres. In spite of all this success, they are still pursuing further development through two specific projects. The first project focuses on "framework": improving and expanding the port. The second one concerns the "content": developing hire services not only for boats but also for kayaks, jet-skis, rowing boats and other water-leisure facilities because, to quote Bernard Suzzarini, "Not everyone can afford to buy his own boat".
Port Camargue is also somewhat deserted out of season. Most people think of it as a marina rather than a port town. For that reason, the resort is seeking to develop all-year-round facilities. Those in charge know that "This can often be the deciding factor in choosing a holiday destination". Throughout the entire year, Port Camargue continues to follow its original driving force, to provide "everything for sailing" and to be at the cutting edge of everything available for sailing.
