Hi Ian,
Having spent many summers on the French Atlantic coast with Sprint 15 and Topper in tow, I can offer a few suggestions which I would be happy to share with you if you want to give me a call 01773 747731.
For the moment, the best place near St Hilaire for sailing is the famous Les Sables D'Olonne where there is a sailing club and where I'm sure you could find a temporary berth for your boat. It's about 25 Kms from St Hilaire. The problem with the Vendee coast is that the beaches are huge, the tide goes a long way out and very few are readily accessible by car to the water's edge. I recall lots of hiking with windsurfing gear from car park to the water!! Les Sables solves these problems.
Anyway, check out :
www.ot-lessablesdolonne.fr
Click on 'Le Nautisme' for info. on the sailing scene.
I can also recommend a superb campsite on the beach in Southern Brittany near La Trinite-sur-Mer for perhaps another time, where you can park your boat on the beach, leave it there for the duration and go sailing everyday no matter the state of the tide. I went there for 8 years on the trot. It was great for all the family.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
