After our rainy sojourn in the UK and more rain in Brugge we decided to head south to the Côte d'Azur. We based ourselves in an apartment in a villa in the suburbs of Antibes. This is a great spot to explore the area as far west as St Tropez and as far east as San Remo in Italy. We could also have ventured into the mountains but we were here for the warmth and there had been snow falling north of Antibes so we decided to just explore the coastal marinas and the delightful hilltop villages in the Alpes Maritime region of Provence.
Marina's in the south of France seem to be a magnet for the rich and famous and some of the boats moored here, while described as "yachts", would be more like a small cruise ship.
These are just a few of the "yachts" in Cannes.
We spoke to the crew of one boat owned by Australian, Kerry Stokes. He commented that every year it costs 20% of the purchase price just for running costs eg wages, mooring fees, fuel, maintenance. And you can only imagine the purchase price!
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| Cap Ferrat from Villefranche sur Mer |
St Jean village on Cap Ferrat had many more modest yachts, which is a little strange considering that Cap Ferrat is home to many of the movie stars who could easily afford a mega yacht but maybe they aren't in the same league as the oil and media magnates that own the likes of those we have seen in Cannes and Antibes. I have been told that it is also due to the fact that the harbours are relatively old and not as deep as some of the newer/renovated ones in Antibes and Cannes.
Antibes is still my favourite Marina, especially with the view of Fort Carré in the background in one direction and the snow capped mountains and Nice in the other, all surrounded by the Vieil Antibes, and overlooked by this sculpture
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