Ville de Grasse

The Ville de Grasse sits in the Petite Passe, hemmed in on most sides: the Grand Ribaud islet sits close by to the NNE at about 770 m, and the Giens peninsula and mainland shut down the N-NW sector a few kilometres off, and Porquerolles island with the close Petit Ribaud islet (roughly 400 m to the E) shadows the whole E-to-SE arc. The open, exposed window is the S through SW to W, where the pass mouths into the Rade d'Hyères and the wider gulf. The dominant Mistral (NW-N) is largely blocked by Grand Ribaud and Giens but funnels gustily down the channel, while a Libeccio (SW) has the longest clear fetch straight up the pass and builds the biggest surface sea here; a Levant (E) is broken up by the islets. As a deep wreck the site is little affected at depth, but a SW-W blow turns the surface choppy and, combined with the channel current, is the usual reason a dive is called.