SETTING SAIL ALONG THE FRENCH RIVIERA.

Byline: Warren Swil Staff Writer

ABOARD THE JUSQU D'BOUT DU REVE - Most Southern Californians probably believe a trip to the French Rivera in the high season is far too expensive to contemplate. But there is an inexpensive and surprisingly effective way to enjoy everything this unparalleled stretch of world-famous coastline has to offer.

Monaco, Cannes, Nice, Antibes, St. Tropez ... all are ancient port cities, and virtually all the historic places you might want to visit - as well as nightlife, entertainment and dining - are convenient to their harbors.

So it makes sense to visit any or all of these glittering destinations by yacht. Wherever you dock, you're right in the center of the action.

Too expensive, you say? Huge numbers of people do it this way, as we discovered last July.

Chartering a luxurious sailboat from one of the world's largest operators, Sunsail of the United Kingdom, is remarkably affordable when you split the cost among four adventurers. For what one night at a five-star hotel in Cannes or Monte Carlo would cost, you can get seven nights and six days of unequaled fun afloat in a superbly maintained, 42-foot sailboat.

Our yacht, including some optional extras, cost $775 per person for the week. After sailing by day and visiting the ports in the long, late summer evenings (and staying the night), you feel totally sated, suntanned and superbly fit at the end of the week.

And what better way to see the Riviera than by boat?

Before setting out, you'll likely have to demonstrate proficiency as a skipper - either through certification from a U.S. sailing organization or perhaps a ``check-out'' sail. And if you're new to sailing but want to take a Riviera yacht cruise anyway, most companies can provide a skipper at a rate of $150 to $300 per day.

Sunsail arranged for us to be met at the airport in Nice, France, for the 40-mile drive southwest to the company base at St. Raphael. Our vessel, Jusqu d'Bout du Reve, was moored in the spanking new St. Raphael harbor adjacent to the ancient, historical port.

She was spic and span, and came equipped with fresh linens for each of four cabins, towels, a starter pack for the kitchen and toilet supplies for each of the two bathrooms, and a full tank of fuel for our trip.

We picked up complimentary snorkel gear dockside, then went shopping at a harborside grocery store for provisions for breakfasts and lunches for the first couple of days. We planned to eat ashore at different resorts most nights.

For most visitors to the French Riviera, a trip wouldn't be complete without a stopover in the tiny principality of Monaco, which clings to the cliffs between France and Italy.

We reached our mooring in Monaco harbor, smack in the middle of downtown, on the evening of our second day out. It was a pattern we noticed everywhere we went on this trip: Every resort is centered around the port, so we always sailed right into the middle of the action and didn't have to go far for fun.

After enjoying the magnificent scenery of the city's skyline, we made it up the hill to the casino. By then it was so late all we did was play the slots before going for a late dinner - which, in Europe, is served as late as midnight.

We decided to stay an extra day in Monaco because there was much we wanted to see and do. We climbed the hill to the royal palace in time for the noon changing of the guard, but compared to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, it was unimpressive.

On a tour tram, we saw the entire two-square-mile principality in about two hours.

That evening we went back to the casino. What a marvelous place - just like in the James Bond movies. If you miss everything else, this is a must- see on a trip to the Rivera.

Built in the late 1890s, it is well worth the $10 admission to enter the casino and gaze at the ornate frescos, crystal chandeliers and gambling tables trimmed in leather. The gambling chips started at $20 (the most expensive we saw was $100) so unless you're a well-heeled, inveterate gambler, it is advisable just to watch rather than play.

While Monaco is probably the most famous playground of the rich, a well-kept secret among the cognoscenti is that Antibes is just as opulent and even more fun, perhaps because it has fewer tourists.

After a lovely day of sailing, we arrived off Vauban harbor in Antibes around 6 p.m.

With considerable angst, we pulled up to the temporary-mooring jetty and spent what seemed like an hour going through interminable paperwork to get a mooring. The harbor was full, we were told, so the only place they could put us was between some huge luxury power yachts in the old basin.

I was trembling as we approached what we thought was our space. Although I am a certified skipper, I had never made a Mediterranean mooring before. The mooring is a space barely larger than the boat itself - about a foot clearance on each side. The skipper must reverse into it at exactly the right speed to glide smoothly up to the dockside without smashing into it, although there is usually a rubber buffer.

If you don't give enough power, you stall and drift. When you hit the dock, a crewman jumps off (or a kindly soul ashore grabs your rope) and you tie up the stern.

At the same time, another crewman grabs a rope from the dock, runs it to the front of the boat and pulls up a chain attached to an anchored mooring in the front. With a totally inexperienced skipper and crew, our first attempt was a total disaster. We managed to get the stern secured, but then the bow started drifting toward the huge, expensive yacht to starboard.

Too scared to use the motor, I just watched helplessly as we drifted into and hit the boat with our anchor, opening a 2-inch gash in its side.

Our second attempt was much better, although our two neighbors saw us coming and threw all their rubber fenders along the sides of their boats and used their hands to keep us from bumping into them. They were gracious and friendly.

We were moored in the old harbor of Vauban, surrounded by ramparts dating from a few years B.C., when Antibes was a Roman outpost. It is drenched in history. A short walk along the dockside and we were in the old city, which has a thriving nightlife district.

We had a wonderful dinner - entertained, free, by a sidewalk jazz band - and then tried drinks at a few different bistros crammed in a tiny street behind the ramparts.

Throughout our trip, we found the dining to be outstanding. Steaks and seafood entrees cost between $15 and $30. (With the Euro worth now roughly the same as a dollar, price comparisons in Europe are easier than ever.) The presentation of the cuisine would have made Martha Stewart proud, and the sauces and garnishes - light and subtle - were tantalizingly tasty.

Even after a full meal, we felt satisfied but not stuffed, thanks to light herbs, spices and sauces that tickled the palate.

One evening, we spend the night on our yacht anchored off-shore. We had sailed all day southwest from Monaco and dropped our anchor in a gorgeous cove off the island of St. Honorat, a few miles offshore from Cannes.

We took the dinghy and went ashore to look at the monastery and castle, the only things on the island. It was quite enchanting, especially the signs requesting us to be respectful and silent if we encountered any monks.

We spent a relaxing evening aboard the yacht anchored a few hundred yards from the island, cooking dinner, eating al fresco on deck, and sipping French wine as we watched a spectacular sunset and the twinkling lights of Cannes in the distance. It was a full moon, and we spent several hours soaking up the ambience. Some of the crew slept outside that night.

For the last night of our trip, we headed for St. Tropez, the fabled playground of the jet set. What an enchanting medieval city it is.

We had a gourmet dinner dockside, then sat at a sidewalk cafe listening to music until the wee hours.

After less than five hours' sleep, we were up and not-so-cheery around 6 a.m. for the two-hour stretch back to the base in St. Raphael. My final mooring, with the shore crew from Sunsail watching intently, was a work of art - if I do say so myself.

It was the tightest reverse turn I had to do on the trip, and I judged it so sweetly the yacht just glided up to the berth as if drawn in by a magnet.

A round of applause, please - and a fitting end to a fabulous cruise.

IF YOU GO

CHARTERS: Sunsail USA has an office in Annapolis, Md. Information: [phone], www.sunsail.com. The Web site has complete details on yacht charters, including prices at all of the company's destinations. E-mail: sunsailusa(at)sunsail.com.

MOORINGS: Fees along the French Rivera range from $20 to $40 per night.

SKIPPER'S TIP: The benefits of chartering a new yacht are significant; the risk of mechanical problems with older ones tends to be greater. It may be worth paying the additional $250 to guarantee you get a new yacht.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) A rented yacht is moored against the quay in Monaco - convenient to the port's attractions and a great spot for people-watching.

(2 -- 3) Renting a sailboat to tour the French Riviera can present challenges, such as when the author had to moor between two luxury yachts in Antibes, above, but the ship proved to be an enjoyable and inexpensive way to see the coast, below.

Warren Swil/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)