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Marseilles (Municipality, France): Yacht clubs

Club La Pelle
Club Nautique et Touristique du Lacydon
Société Nautique de Marseille
Union Nautique Marseillaise

See also:

Club La Pelle

by Ivan Sache

The Club La Pelle started in 1918, when a group of friends met on week-ends in the small port of the Roucas-Blanc to go sea-skiffing. In 1923, they registered the club name with the aim of promoting nautical sport. The skiffers were later joined by yachtmen, windsurfers and catamaran owners. The port of the Roucas-Blanc is located west of the city center, close to the beaches of Marseilles. Roucas-Blanc is the poshest borough of Marseilles.

The most common meaning of pelle in French is a shovel. Here, however, pelle must be understood as a colloquial world for rame, an oar.

The burgee of Club La Pelle is red with a white disk near the hoist.

Source: Club La Pelle website

Ivan Sache, 19 March 2002

Club Nautique et Touristique du Lacydon

by Ivan Sache

The Club Nautique et Touristique du Lacydon (CNTL) was founded in Marseilles on 20 January 1970 by Roger Corvi, Claude Galli and Henri Porta. The CNTL is based in the Vieux-Port of Marseilles. It has more than 500 members and c. 450 moorings for sail and motor boats.

Lacydon is the name of the port where the Greek settlers Protis and Gyptis are said to have landed in the VIth century BP.

The burgee of the CNTL is white with a blue border and the blue logo of the yacht club placed near the hoist. The shade of blue is darker than on the flag of Marseilles.

Ivan Sache, 8 May 2003

Société Nautique de Marseille

The Société Nautique de Marseille (SNM) is the oldest yacht club still active in Marseilles. It is the second oldest yacht club still active in France, the oldest one being the Sociétés des Régates du Havre, in Normandy. The SNM was founded on 12 February 1887 by secession from the Société des Régates de Marseille, which had been founded in 1861. The SNM was state-approved by decree on 2 March 1932. The SNM is nicknamed la Nautique, as if it was the only yacht club in Marseilles.
The SNM is famous for its floating club house, moored at Quai Rive-Neuve in the Vieux-Port of Marseilles since 1889. This big club house includes the club offices, meeting rooms, a library and a restaurant.

The SNM organizes several races, among which the most renowned are

The Semaine Nautique Internationale de la Méditerranée (SNIM - Mediterranean International Sailing Week), which features more than 200 sailing boats every year during Easter week.
The Vire-à-Vire, a festival rather than a race, which features more than 200 local and motor boats on the first Sunday of October.

The SNM membership is currently over 500. More than 300 sailing and motor boats are registered at the SNM.

by Ivan Sache

The flag of the SNM is horizontally divided red-white-red with a blue Scandinavian cross in the white stripe and a white star tilted to the canton placed in canton. The flag is proudly hoisted over the floating club house.

by Ivan Sache

The burgee of the SNM can be seen on the boats moored near the club house. It is a triangular version of the flag. The blue cross recalls of course the municipal banner of arms of Marseilles.
The burgee of the SNM is also shown on the club logo, but in a slightly different pattern. First, the burgee is shown as a very thin waving triangle with a centered blue cross and red stripes extending more than geometrically possible. Second, the star is not tilted.

Source: SNM website

Ivan Sache, 31 March 2003

Union Nautique Marseillaise

by Ivan Sache

The Union Nautique Marseillaise is the oldest yacht club in Marseilles. It was founded in 1882. The UNM is located in the Vieux-Port of Marseilles.

The burgee of the UNM is a red triangular flag with two white stars placed vertically along the hoist and the white letters U.N.M. placed horizontally in the middle of the flag.

Source: UNM website

Ivan Sache, 5 July 2003

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