Bassin à flot

Bassin à Flot is one of four basins that make up Port de Palais on Belle-Île-en-Mer in Morbihan. It lies at the innermost part of the harbour, separated from the outer harbour by a lock, giving shelter and a stable water level unlike the more exposed parts of the port.

Access to Bassin à Flot is only possible through the lock at high tide. The lock gates open roughly one and a half hours before to one hour after high tide, with lock operation limited to the hours of 06:00-22:00. Keep watch on VHF channel 9 on approach, as the harbour has heavy traffic from ferries and cargo vessels, which have priority. The basin has 90 berths, with boats mooring alongside each other along the quays, and water and electricity are available at the berths. The harbour office does not take reservations for stopovers.

At the berths in Bassin à Flot there is water and shore power (220V/10A). Toilets and showers are available in the sanitary block by the basin, along with waste sorting containers. Diesel and petrol are available at Quai Bonnelle, a self-service card-operated fuel berth open 24 hours a day. For repairs there is a 15-tonne mobile crane, an 8-tonne trailer, a slipway, and a chandlery within the harbour area.

The harbour is located by the town of Le Palais, the main town of Belle-Île, overlooked by the Citadelle Vauban. Le Palais is the island's principal gateway for both cargo and passenger traffic from the mainland.