Aire de carénage

Aire de carénage is the large maintenance and haul-out area at Port du Moulin Blanc, Brest's major marina at the head of the Brest roadstead in Brittany. Here boat owners can haul their boat out for anything from a few hours to a full winter lay-up, which starts in October.

A berth in the haul-out area is booked through the harbour office at Marina du Château, and the facility is open from October to mid-June. You can choose between short-term winter storage, a quick 72-hour round trip ashore and back, or storage on straps, depending on your needs.

The area is equipped with a 50-tonne travel lift able to handle hulls up to 5.7 metres wide, as well as a dedicated hull-cleaning slip and a launching slipway. A treatment station handles wastewater, and the marina has recycling bins for oil, paint and sorted waste — an effort that has earned Moulin Blanc the green Port Propre certification. Ashore you'll find two sanitary blocks with a total of 20 toilets and 20 showers, a laundry with tumble dryer, and a 24-hour fuel berth with both diesel and unleaded petrol. Numerous boatyards, mechanics and sailmakers are based at the marina, and you can borrow trolleys and bicycles free of charge, plus there is free wifi.

Just a few minutes' walk from the quay you'll find a bakery, several restaurants, the Spadium Parc water park, the botanical garden and the Océanopolis aquarium.