Over recent years La Rochelle’s Grand Pavois, held in late September or early October, has become one of my favourite boat shows. The town is the largest boatbuilding hub on the Atlantic coast, south of Nantes, and the show is held in Les Minimes marina, one of the largest in Europe, with almost 5,000 berths.
Typically there are 750 boats on show, with a little under half of them afloat. Visitor numbers are generally in the 70-80,000 bracket, making it a little smaller than Southampton. Traditionally, La Grand Pavois has been mostly sail-oriented, although power-driven craft are growing in importance. Whatever your inclination, you’ll find the big names and a myriad of smaller
