MapFrancePort-Saint-Louis, CamarguePointe de la GracieusePort-Saint-Louis, Camargue

Pointe de la Gracieuse

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · Camargue - Port-Saint-Louis · Bouches-du-Rhône · Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone

also known as They de la Gracieuse, Anse de la Gracieuse, La Gracieuse, La Balancelle

Part of Port-Saint-Louis, Camargue →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov

Months riders and schools name

How windy

24 kt

Character: mixed · cross-shore

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

22.7 °C in summerThe sand spit shelters the water from open sea chop, creating flat to very flat water near the bank

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

60 min

Marseille Provence Airport (MRS)

When it fills in

The Mistral is synoptic: it can be blowing at dawn, hold overnight and run for several days, with gusts strongest through the afternoon and easing after dark. In settled summer weather without Mistral the day follows the sea-breeze pattern - calm morning, breeze established in the early afternoon from the south-east, land breeze returning at night.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Anse de Carteauno page yet
Plage Napoleonno page yet
Plage Olgano page yet
Fos-sur-Merno page yet
Le Jai - Marignaneno page yet
Almanarre - Hyeresno page yet

The spot

The spit

Pointe de la Gracieuse, also written They de la Gracieuse, is the 6 km sand spit that shelters the Golfe de Fos side of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone, and the water behind it is flat, roughly 1 to 1.5 m deep and empty. That is why the schools bring beginners out here and why speed and freestyle riders come for the Mistral.

Wind and access

NW and N are the working directions, and a classic day runs 20-30 kt. Getting there is the whole story: fifteen minutes by boat from Port Napoleon or Carteau, fifteen to twenty minutes on foot from the Plage Napoleon parking on the path behind the dune, or a downwind kite approach from the Anse de Carteau that has to dodge the mussel lines.

Conditions and rules

On the spit there is no lifeguard, no rescue boat, no shade and no car, so ride with someone and plan the way back before you launch. Do not confuse it with the grass launch at Carteau or with Plage Napoleon on the open-sea side, which gets chop and waves in S/SE.

The Theys Saint Antoine, the Mazet and the Levant next door are closed to kite and windsurf launching, Natura 2000 habitat rules and hunting closures are marked from October to December, and tankers use the channel just offshore.

The wind

locals call it Mistral

Direction

cross-shore

Dominant direction

NW to NNW Mistral is the most reliable direction on the sand spit, onshore to side-on. N works well too. S is not good from the Gracieuse side, though other setups around the spit are reportedly usable.

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider, 9-12 m covers most Mistral days: 11-12 m when it is only 15-18 kt, 9 m at 22-25 kt, 7-8 m once a classic 30 kt episode sets in.Bring the small end of the quiver, because the Mistral builds through the day and there is no quick way back to the car from the spit.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

23.8

Typical strength

20-30 in a classic Mistral, with a seasonal average near 24 kt across the December-April window. Summer days without Mistral run on a lighter south-easterly sea breeze instead.

Often regular and sustained on the Gracieuse sand spit because it is away from shore turbulence; nearby Carteau is regular except when wind comes over land.

Schools run from March to November, and even in July-August the spit stays uncrowded because getting to it is work. The windiest window on the statistics is December-April, and Carteau next door is a spring and autumn spot. March to May and September to November give wind with tolerable water temperature.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov.

About these figuresno series

Nothing usable has been measured or modelled for this place. The months come from what riders say, or from nothing at all.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

The water

Type

flat

Standing depth

Shallow across the riding area. Large stretches sit at roughly 1 to 1.5 m with no obstacles and you keep your footing over most of the bank. Scattered rocks and very shallow patches exist, so walk a line before committing to it.

Tides

Very small Mediterranean tide range; local tide tables around Plage Napoleon/Port-Saint-Louis show roughly decimetre-scale changes (for example about 0.3-0.5 m on 27 August 2026 at Plage Napoleon).

Temperature

22.7 °C summer · 12.3 °C winter

Wetsuit

Summer can be shorty or light suit depending on wind exposure; winter needs a full suit, commonly around 4/3 mm or warmer. SeaTemperature's 10-year averages are about 22.7 °C in August and 12.3 °C in February.

Currents

No current data specific to the spit. The zone sits near the Rhone mouth and the standing local warning is about river driftwood and debris rather than a named current.

Conditions

The sand spit shelters the water from open sea chop, creating flat to very flat water near the bank. Nearby Plage Napoleon, outside the sheltered side, can have waves in S/SE winds. Carteau and Gracieuse are adjacent but not identical launch/riding zones.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginner-friendly when supervised because the water is flat, shallow and uncrowded; it is also used for progression, freeride and speed/freestyle. Independent beginners still need caution because access is remote, wind can be strong, and rescue depends on school/boat support.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterfreestylebeginner lessonsspeedwingfoil

Who it suitsbeginner

Wild, spacious and school-oriented at Gracieuse because access limits casual crowds; nearby Carteau can be crowded on busy weekends.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

4 spots nearby

All 4 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

VHF channel 16

Rescue — full text1 min read

No lifeguard post and no rescue boat dedicated to the spit. Schools reach it by boat and cover their own clients; independent riders are on their own once they are out there.

The posted municipal kite panels give the emergency numbers as 18, 15 or 112 by phone and VHF channel 16 for CROSS, and instruct riders to alert CROSS for a sea rescue or for drifting equipment.

The nearest structures are the municipal nautical base at Port-Saint-Louis on 04 42 86 90 40 and the local kite association Delta Mistral Camargue, with Mistral Kite Passion on 06 16 43 57 72 and Kitexperience on 06 69 77 91 45 listed on the same panels.

Launch

A 6 km sand strip running west of the Golfe de Fos, sheltering the Anse de Carteau behind it.Three ways in:by boat from Port Napoleon or Carteau, about fifteen minutes and the option the schools use;on foot in fifteen to twenty minutes from the Plage Napoleon parking, paid in summer, on a path behind the dune;or a downwind kite approach from Anse de Carteau that has to avoid the mussel-farm lines.Launch space on the spit itself is effectively unlimited.

Hazards riders report 19 reported

Wind

Strong Mistral can be powerful and gusty during frontal/synoptic episodes.
Strong Mistral can be powerful and gusty during frontal episodes and builds through the day.

Crowds and zones

proximity to the Fos-sur-Mer/Port-Saint-Louis industrial and port complex - watch for shipping and port traffic
Remote access by boat or long walk; self-rescue and exit planning are important outside school supervision.
Nearby shipping lanes, tankers, channels and the Fos-sur-Mer industrial port environment require staying clear of navigation channels and commercial vessels.
Proximity to the Fos-sur-Mer / Port-Saint-Louis industrial and port complex; shipping lanes, tankers and channels are close.
Remote access by boat or a long walk; self-rescue and an exit plan matter once you leave school supervision.
Mussel and oyster farming areas and professional fishing zones around Carteau; stay out of the marked areas and off the farm lines.

Bottom

Scattered rocks and very shallow patches along the bank.

Waves and currents

Do not park on Plage Napoleon during storm warnings because waves can flood the beach parking area.
Do not park on Plage Napoleon during storm warnings; waves flood the beach parking.

Protected areas and rules

Regulated/prohibited zones around the Theys, Natura 2000 habitat and hunting closure markings must be respected.
Mussel/oyster farming areas and professional fishing zones exist around Carteau; stay out of marked or prohibited areas.
Launching a kite or a windsurf board from the Theys Saint Antoine, Mazet and Levant is prohibited and enforceable by proces-verbal.
Regulated and prohibited zones around the Theys, Natura 2000 habitat and hunting closures marked from October to December.

Other

flat marshland terrain with limited shelter
Rhone driftwood and debris can be present on Plage Napoleon and nearby shorelines.
Rhone driftwood and debris on Plage Napoleon and the nearby shorelines.
Flat marshland terrain with no shelter and no facilities on the spit.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: Port-Saint-Louis posts municipal kite panels at Plage Napoleon and Carteau, citing municipal orders 2015/982 and 2012/DATT/441.

Prohibited areas

Under 2012/DATT/441 motor vehicles and wind-towed craft are barred from the Theys Saint Antoine (south bank), the Mazet and the Levant, and its article 3 makes putting a kite or a windsurf board in the water from those Theys prohibited, with any breach subject to a proces-verbal. The panel map hatches those Theys and a rectangle of water offshore in the Anse de Carteau, marks one point closed from October to December for hunting, and leaves the Gracieuse spit itself unhatched; the spit is treated locally as an official kite zone with restricted areas marked by yellow buoys.

Bathing and speed rules

Once the summer bathing buoyage is in place riders must navigate outside the 300 m band, and speed inside the first 300 m is limited to 5 knots without a Prefecture Maritime derogation. A helmet and a buoyancy aid are advised, and a helmet is necessary if the board has a leash.

Carteau regulations

At Carteau the local association DMC holds the authorisation that makes the practice legal: riders using the kite zone are asked to hold an FFVL licence or third-party kite insurance and to stay inside the allotted space, and outside kite schools may only teach after a favourable municipal opinion. Natura 2000 habitat rules and the posted October to December hunting closures apply, and supervised bathing zones must be left clear in summer.

Access fees

2026: vehicle access to Plage Napoleon costs 6 EUR/day from 09:00 to 17:00 between 27 June and 31 August; on foot it is free.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Fix the launch or the boat pickup with a school or with DMC before you drive out; the access descriptions do not agree with each other.
Use Gracieuse for flat-water Mistral, and Plage Napoleon only if you want sea chop or S/SE waves and have the level for them.
Carry water, sun cover and repair basics. Once you are on the spit there is no car, no shop and no shade.
Stay well clear of the navigation channel, the tankers, the shellfish parks and every hatched zone on the municipal panels, and never rig or launch from the Theys Saint Antoine, Mazet or Levant.
Save the panel numbers before you go: 112 by phone, VHF channel 16 for CROSS, and the nautical base on 04 42 86 90 40.
In summer budget for vehicle access at Plage Napoleon, 6 EUR/day from 09:00 to 17:00 between 27 June and 31 August (2026), keep off the supervised bathing areas, and carry an FFVL licence or third-party kite insurance if you ride the Carteau kite zone.

Getting there

Airport

Marseille Provence Airport (MRS)

Route

Drive via A55/N568/D268 toward Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone, then Port Napoleon or Plage Napoleon/Carteau depending on boat pickup or walking access. Public transport exists to Port-Saint-Louis and summer beach buses have been published by the tourism office, but a car or school pickup is the practical option for kite gear.

Transfer

60 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Port-Saint-Louis has hotels, guesthouses, holiday rentals. 2-person bungalows can be booked at Port Napoleon next to the kite boat, with Wi-Fi, a laundry and bicycle rental. A municipal camping-car park sits about 7 km from Plage Napoleon and 5 km from Carteau.

No-wind days

Camargue nature walks and birding, Plage Napoleon/They de la Gracieuse walking route, Port-Saint-Louis beaches, local mussel/oyster areas at Carteau, cycling/ViaRhona, Martigues and the Cote Bleue.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Pointe de la Gracieuse?

March, April, May, September, October and November are named as the best months, though the strongest statistical wind season runs from December to April.

Is Pointe de la Gracieuse good for beginners?

It is beginner-friendly when supervised, since the water is flat, shallow and uncrowded, but access is remote and rescue depends on school or boat support.

How do you get to Pointe de la Gracieuse?

Most schools reach the sand spit by boat from Port Napoléon or Port-Saint-Louis; it can reportedly also be walked from Plage Napoléon in about 15-20 minutes.

What is the wind like at Pointe de la Gracieuse?

The site is known for a regular, sustained Mistral from the northwest, with classic sessions often in the 20-30 knot range.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

Municipal orders mark prohibited zones around the Theys, protect Natura 2000 habitat, and set a hunting closure from October to December; riders must stay in authorized launch zones.

The bigger pictureEverything about Camargue - Port-Saint-Louis

Last updated: August 2026