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Cannes is the Cote d'Azur's event-week marina, and the 40 to 50m bracket is the workhorse size for both the Film Festival in May and the August charter calendar. A 40 to 50m motor yacht Cannes in 2026 high season runs $245,000 to $390,000 per week plus 25 to 30 percent APA, takes 8 to 12 guests, and carries 9 to 14 crew. The active 40 to 50m fleet in the bay during August is estimated at 40 to 60 yachts, with the Vieux Port stern-to lineup, the Port Canto slots, the Iles de Lerins anchorage, and the Cap d'Antibes anchorage absorbing the load.
Why the bracket fits Cannes specifically
Cannes at this LOA is a marina-first product with a strong day-anchorage program. The Vieux Port is the visible berth, the Port Canto is the alternative for repeat charter clients and event-week stays, and the Lerins anchorage (Sainte-Marguerite, Saint-Honorat) is the half-day swimming program. The route is short: Cannes to Antibes is 5 miles, Cannes to Saint-Tropez is 30 miles, and the bracket is at home running both as day-trips from a Cannes base.
The Vieux Port slot count is the binding constraint during the Film Festival (mid-May), the Cannes Yachting Festival (mid-September), and the August peak weeks. Vieux Port stern-to holds roughly 12 to 18 yachts at this LOA on any given peak night, with fees running 300 to 600 euros per metre per night. The Festival booking is a separate exercise: the visible Vieux Port slots are allocated to long-confirmed clients, and the available slots during Festival week 2026 (12-23 May 2026) should be locked at contract or accepted as anchored off the Croisette.
Port Canto handles 40 to 50m yachts comfortably with a confirmed reservation and is a meaningful alternative for the charter client who is in Cannes for the dining and the day-run program rather than the visible Croisette berth. The fee structure runs 15 to 25 percent below Vieux Port at the same LOA.
Weekly rate map for 2026
Rates below are high season (mid-July to late August) for 2026, before APA at 25 to 30 percent and gratuity at 10 to 15 percent.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $245K to $300K per week | $200K to $255K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $290K to $355K per week | $235K to $300K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $335K to $390K per week | $280K to $345K per week |
Cannes' rate floor sits roughly 4 to 7 percent below Saint-Tropez and 2 to 5 percent below Monaco off-Grand Prix at the same LOA. Festival week carries an event-specific premium (10 to 20 percent over August floor for the 8 to 10-night Festival booking) and shoulder weeks in early June and late September drop 22 to 30 percent off the high-season floor. For wider context see Mediterranean charter weekly rates.
What is in the bracket in this bracket
Cabins. 5-cabin layouts dominate, with 6-cabin family-friendly configurations available in the upper bracket. The 5-cabin layout suits the Festival event-week booking (4 couples plus a single principal) and the August friend-group week.
Crew. 9 to 14. Cannes runs a heavier breakfast-and-lunch programme on board than Saint-Tropez (the Croisette dining is the evening focus, the day-program lives off the transom), so the interior service crew is the rate-limiting factor for the upper bracket.
Tenders. A primary 9 to 10m fast tender plus a 7 to 8m secondary. The Lerins anchorage tender run is 10 to 20 minutes from the Vieux Port mole, and the cross-bay run to Cap d'Antibes is 15 to 25 minutes. Speed and presentation both matter.
Stabilizers. At-rest stabilizers matter for the Lerins anchorage and the Cap d'Antibes bays. The afternoon Mistral builds chop on the Lerins anchorage and the bracket needs the stabilizers to keep the lunch service tolerable through to 4pm.
Beach club. Standard at this bracket. Used heavily off Lerins and off Cap d'Antibes.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The Cannes plus Cap d'Antibes week. Embark Cannes Vieux Port, three nights, day-runs to Lerins and Cap d'Antibes, two nights anchored off Antibes Garoupe, one night Port Canto, return Cannes. Seven nights. The bracket is the operational sweet spot.
The Cote d'Azur east-to-west run. Embark Monaco, two nights, Cap-Ferrat or Villefranche, Cannes Vieux Port for two nights, Saint-Tropez for two nights, one-way disembark Saint-Tropez. Seven nights. Canonical Cote d'Azur week and the bracket runs the marinas cleanly.
The Festival week booking. Embark Cannes for 8 to 12 nights covering the full Festival, Vieux Port slot or Port Canto with shuttle, day-runs to Lerins, two evenings on board with Festival guests. The bracket is the bookable size for the visible-berth event week.
For destination context see Charter Cannes, Charter Cote d'Azur, and Day charter Cannes.
What the bracket does not do well in Cannes
Festival-week slot allocation. The Vieux Port slot during the Festival is allocated to repeat clients with multi-year history. A first-time Festival booking at this bracket without an early-locked slot is going to live in the bay off the Croisette, which is fine for the day program but is not the marina product. Plan accordingly.
Croisette anchorage swing. The bay off the Croisette gets a meaningful afternoon onshore breeze and the anchorage swing builds quickly in August. A yacht without at-rest stabilizers reads as uncomfortable from the transom.
Lerins anchorage capacity at peak. The Sainte-Marguerite anchorage absorbs the Cannes peak-week lunch program but the popular south-side anchorages fill by 11am in August. The early-arrival decision lives with the captain.
Two we would book
For two couples, seven days in mid-June, Cannes plus Cap d'Antibes: a 43m motor yacht with 5 cabins, embarkation Cannes. Budget $275K plus APA, all-in roughly $375K. Booking lead time: 5 to 8 months.
For a friend group of 10, ten days in early August, Vieux Port plus Lerins plus east-to-Monaco run: a 46m motor yacht with 5 cabins, fast tender, confirmed Vieux Port slot for four of the peak nights, embarkation Cannes. Budget $365K plus APA, all-in roughly $500K. Booking lead time: 10 to 12 months.
For a Festival event-week booking for 12, twelve days covering the full Festival 2026: a 48m motor yacht with 6 cabins, embarkation Cannes, confirmed Vieux Port slot (locked at contract). Budget $560K plus APA for the 12-night Festival booking (event-week premium), all-in roughly $760K. Booking lead time: 14 to 18 months.
Build year, refit, condition
Cannes at peak and during the Festival is heavily comparison-set-driven, second only to Monaco Grand Prix week in the Med. A 2018 to 2024 build, or a pre-2018 build with a 2023 or 2024 documented full refit, is the realistic ask. We would pass on any yacht without at-rest stabilizers, on any yacht arriving from a hard Caribbean season without a Mediterranean shipyard refit, and on any first-time Cannes Festival booking that does not have the Vieux Port slot confirmed at contract.