MARSEILLES
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SURFING     BOATING / FISHING    CANOEING / ROWING     DIVING SKATING and BLADING
PETANQUE   FOOTBALL   WATER SKIING and JET SKI    HIKING AND MOUNTAIN BIKING

If you want to make a friend, then the best way to go about it is to learn all about the OM (Olympique de Marseille), they're all Fada about their football team. If you hear two men shouting at each other in a café or in the street, get near enough to hear and I'm sure they're talking about football, I'm sure they're both on the same side, they're just discussing the latest Ronaldo's latest exploits and how he doesn't compare to any of their players.  They do have thier reasons, some of the worlds best players where bought up in Marseille, Zidane, Cantona (you can mention his name here, but they don't like him so much). Half of the World cup team seems to be originated  from Marseille. If you have the oportunity then you must go see a match here, at the Velodrome (no it's not for bicycles), it can hold 60 000 people. The team are also very business orientated, they have their own café, they have special deals with Quick in marseille, you'll see their photos in the local newspapers everyday.

The Marseillaises do have other sporting interests like boating, for those who can afford it, if you sit at the end of the Vieux Port, on the other side of the fort St Jean,  you'll see a flow of people in their rowing boats zip off for a half an hour during their  lunch break.

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SURF
Every weekend you'll see lots of sailing boats and windsurfs by the prado and, if there's some waves you'll see surfers (plage des Véliplanchistes), unfortunately it's only a very small beach with waves only on the right hand side with about 50 surfers (better in the week) so you've either got to be good enough to go get that wave, or cross you're fingers and try again.
A better place to surf is towards the CARO, the Caro beach itself is a bit brutal windwise, you can't see what you're doing and there's always 200 windsurfers coming in and out. But if you take the coast road you'll find good places (watch out for the rocks), unfortunately the Mediteranean is not the best place to surf, Marseille has alot of wind, and so waves, but don't come here just for the surf you risk being dissapointed.

As for renting surf gear here's a few addresses :
Mac Millan Surf Shop, La gare sncf 13960, Sausset-les-Pins, tel 04 42 44 78 00
Massilia Surf Shop, 2 rue Dieudé 13006 Marseille, tel/fax 04 91 54 30 60
Frenzy surf Shop, 1 av de Montredon plage de la pointe Rouge 13008 Marseille, tel/fax 04 91 72 02 22
Surf shops are popping up along the prado beaches so keep your eyes open.

You also have a shark body Board Club , 16 Bd de la Tuvière, 13012 Marseille, tel/fax 04 91 93 26 44
and a daily surf report : Océan Surf Report : 08 36 68 13 60 (watch out is cost more than a local call)

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BOATING AND SAILING
Marseille offers an enormous erray of sporting centers and associations, and with reason, it's a beautiful place to come and practice a bit of boating, you can rent a sail or motor boat for the day or for a month, with a crew or you can go it alone. Here's some addresses or the internet address of a cruise boat rental company, it's in french unfortunately. Or the boaters association of Marseille's address.
SAIL BOATS :
Name Address Tel  Fax Boat
Compagnie Méditerranéenne des Armateurs Gérants 146 rue Paradis, 13294 Marseille 04 91 56 
15 59 		 04 91 56
23 58		 20 M Scooners with crew
Midi Nautisme 13 palce aux Huiles 13001 Marseille 04 91 54 86 09 04 91 33 
35 70		 9-20 M with or without crew
Soleil Rouge 74 quai du Port 13002 Marseille 04 91 90 60 67 04 91 90
46 21 		  7-17 M with or without crew
Méditerranée Location 108 quai du Port 13002 Marseille 04 91 90 99 56   7-15M with or without crew
Le Don du Vent
Philippe Derain		 38 rue du Petit Puits 13002 Marseille 04 91 90 85 67   32M with crew
Ambre Marine   04 94 30 92 96    Boréale 60 footer, with crew
Alain Gabay maxi challenge 30 rue Raphaël 13008 Marseille  04 91 22 87 47   2 maxi Ketchs 25M with crew
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MOTOR BOATS
Name Address Tel  Fax Boat
 Groupement des Armateurs Côtiers Marseillais quai des Belges 13001 marseille 04 91 55 50 09 04 91 55 60 23  9,5M speed boats upto 5 persons.
Trio Services Les Oliviers, Montée ds Argelas 13700 Marignane 04 42 09 05 45 04 42 31 46 85 Launch boats, Gobbi 23 cabines 8M with or without skipper
Syline Yachting International 108 quai du Port 13002 Marseille 04 91 91 12 69 04 91 90 21 01 5-60M with or without crew
Soleil Rouge  74 quai du Port 13002 Marseille 04 91 90 60 67 04 91 90 46 21 8- 11M with or without crew
Locanautic Port de la Pointe Rouge 13008 Marseille 04 91 73 09 91 04 91 25 24 08 inflatable (hard hull), 1/2 day rental available
Boramar 77 rue Peyssonnel 13003 Marseille 04 91 64 85 23 04 91 05 87 80 7.40-11M with or without crew
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If you already have a boat and need to get it anchored somewhere here's some addresses:
Capitainerie du vieux port 13007 marseille 04 91 33 25 44
Capitainerie de la Pointe Rouge Av. de la pointe rouge 13008 marseille 04 91 73 13 21
Yachting Club de la Pointe Rouge 04 91 73 06 75
Capitainerie du Friol Frioul Island 04 91 59 01 82
Yacht Motor Club Quai Rive Neuve 13007 Marseille 04 91 54 16 42
Société Nautique de Marseille floating office, quai rive neuve 13007 Ma 04 91 54 32 03
Union Nautique de Marseille 34 Bd Charles Livon 13007 Marseille 04 91 52 59 71
Cercle nautique et touristique de Lacydon Quai Marcel Pagnol 13007 Marseille 04 91 33 44 84
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FISHING 
There's a great site showing you the local fish you can catch around Marseille unfortunately in french but there's lots of great photos
 

CANOEING/ROWING

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DIVING

WATER SKIING and JET SKI
Unfortunately I've only found one water ski club "Ski Club Phocéen" 5 rue Armand Bedarride 13006 Marseille 04 91 42 00 58 and it's for members only, give it a go though
For your jet skis there's more luck :
Yacht Motor Club, Quai de Rive Neuve 13001 Marseille 04 91 54 16 42
Jet Seea Club Marseillais, 61 bd des Neiges 13008 Marseille 04 91 72 62 23     rental "plage du David"

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 HIKING AND MOUNTAIN BIKING
If you like walking there's only one place to go and that's the "Calanques" You can access them from Marseille or by Cassis (pronounced cassi). Go early in the morning if you take the car as you'll never be able to park

SKATING AND BLADING
Go visit this site, it's only in french, if you click on the images you get a closer view
 

FOOTBALL
you must see the official OM's site, it does have a british flag flying but the english version doesn't seem to work, shame.
 
 

any questions, comments - send me a message