Saint-Tropez, « daughter of the sea »
Long before being the refuge of many artists, a world famous spot, Saint-Tropez was essentially a village of fishermen, merchants, knights, defenders of the peninsula and of course sailors. It is therefore not surprising that for decades, a multitude of boats from all over the world have been visiting this ‘well-defended’ peninsula, nicknamed the ‘daughter of the sea’…
From the mythical city…
Greek counter under the name of Athenopolis, then Roman under that of Héracléa.
In 68 in Pisa, Torpes, a Christian officer of the emperor Nero, was tortured; his headless body thrown into a boat arrived on our shores. It will become the patron saint under the name of Saint-Tropez.
Razed in 739 by the Saracens, it is the Genoese sailors who give life to the city in 1470 bringing with them the republican colors of Genoa: red, white, red.
Then, to defend the city against all invaders, it took good knights, sailors moreover. These valiant sailors are still remembered today, notably in the person of the Bailiff Pierre-André de Suffren, whose statue dominates the port as if to protect the city. Nicknamed “Admiral Satan” by the English, with whom he had competed in numerous naval battles, Pierre-André de Suffren was one of the greatest sailors in France and certainly a child of Saint-Tropez.
…At the ” Nautique ” officialized in 1899
The first evidence of a sport yachting activity in Saint-Tropez took place during the inauguration of the Statue of the Bailiff of Suffren in April 1866 where “great sailing and rowing regattas” were announced. The success of the regattas organized on May 18, 1899, by the City Captain, Jean Baptiste Sanmartin, during the Bravade, led to the creation of the Nautical and Sports Society of Saint-Tropez, May 18 1899.
The headquarters of the society is at the Café de la Renaissance; the annual membership fee is 6 francs.
The headquarters of the society is at the Café de la Renaissance; the annual membership fee is 6 francs.
From 1899 to 1980….
In 1901, the headquarters is transferred to quai Suffren and in 1902, A notice of race describes the rules in force for the regattas… While yachting was booming, the first world war 14-18 stopped the activity of “la Nautique”, the mobilization hitting both the tropéziens and the “estrangers
In 1925, the activity resumes under the name of the Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, with two sections, Sailing and Swimming, its headquarters is at the Château Suffren. Its affiliation to the French Federation of Sailing Yachting (FFYV) dates from that year.
On the orders of the German authorities, a prefectural decree dissolved “la Nautique” in march 1942.
On August 15, 1944, the port is completely destroyed and the October 10 1945, at an extraordinary general meeting, La Société Nautique de Saint Tropez is recreated.
It is composed of several sections: Sailing, Motor, as well as Underwater fishing, Fishing and later on Water skiing. Its headquarters are in the Tour Vieille and then in the Tour du Portalet.
The organization of the first week of regattas “la semaine du golfe” with the neighboring club of Sainte Maxime will be done in 1946.
In 1955: three important regattas are organized by the Club ; the cruise race Saint-Tropez / San-Remo organized with the Compagnia della vella de San Remo, lhe Challenge Trophy Christian Dior on the Saint-Tropez / Porquerolles / Saint-Tropez route, the triangular regattas in the Gulf.
That same year, La Nautique adopted new statutes with the creation of a Board of Directors and three sections: sailing yachting, motor yachting and water skiing.
In November 1956, a first request is sent to the town hall of Saint-Tropez for the rent of a communal ground in edge of the Bay of the Canoubiers to install a summer club house and a school of veil: mail without answer.
In 1957, while a groin is installed for the members’ boats and there is a new bar and lounge at the Tour du Portalet, a committee in charge of the management of the water level is created. The challenge Christian Dior with the Grand Prize Italia is also taking place this year.
1959 is a landmark year, celebrating 60 years of the club, several races are organized and the number of sections increases to four: Light Yachting, Grand Tourisme nautique (for the development of cruising yachting), Motonautisme, Plan d’eau
In 1965, While the club is testing a cruise race between Antibes and Saint-Tropez, the project to extend the port by creating a second basin will provide La Nautique with more mooring places, between 50 and 100 according to the Town Hall, and a Club House.
In August 1967, the Club organizes the Ponant National Championship while a sailing school and dinghy center at Canoubiers is created. A section of the second pool is available at the end of the year.
In 1968, the Port becomes paying and the Giraglia is in Saint-Tropez, bringing about a hundred sailboats.
The sailing school opens to summer visitors in 1970.
In order to balance the budget, the accounting is divided into three parts: anchorage, sailing school and Nautical Society.
In 1971, the project of Club House does not succeed with the Town hall. At the general assembly of August 3, 1971, Mr. Sterck proposes “the acquisition of a boat, like a danish boat or a barge, to be used as a Club House”. The City Council proposes a prefabricated building which will be paid by the Nautique.
The may 1 1974, Faced with the absence of a subsidy from the Municipality, the Board of Directors voted to attach the sailing school to the Union Sportive Tropézienne.
At the General Assembly of the August 12, 1977, President Molle noted that “the sporting vocation of the Nautical Society was diminishing year after year and that the mission of “boat garages” was proceeding satisfactorily. Mr. René Perrier, who would later become President, proposed the creation of a prestigious annual regatta.
Thus, from April 1 to 9, 1978, the 1er Festival Art-Mer-Neige (ARMEN) at the initiative of Mr. Perrier is born. The 1977/1978 season has 7 days of regattas with 128 boats-starting.
In 1979, we see the creation of an offshore sailing school for the training of young people. The number of days of regattas is increased to 12, the organization of which with the Nautical Club of Saint-Raphaël the “100 miles of summer”.
From 1980 to the present day :
August 3, 1981 : The general assembly will have to confirm the sporting object of the Nautique and to designate the committee representing the aspirations of the majority of the members.
In 2015, lhe merger of SNST and UST Voile will last 3 years.
The stability of the structures for more than 30 years, the numerous nautical activities, adapted to the expectations of the sailors, the fishermen, the yachtsmen, made of the Nautical Society of Saint-Tropez one of the most active clubs of the Mediterranean Sea; it has for object the practice of nautical activities such as the regattas and the fishing
The decisive turning point for the Club came in 1999 when the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez took over the organization of the “Nioulargue” which had been abruptly stopped in 1995 following a tragic accident.
The event now called “Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez” has thus taken up the torch with the leitmotiv of keeping the spirit of yesteryear.
Today, with nearly 500 members, the majority of whom are boat owners, the S.N.S.T. organizes or co-organizes more than 15 events throughout the year, representing more than 50 days of racing per year.
SOME FIGURES
The Nautical Society registers today :
- More than 500 members
- 16 members of the steering committee
- 5 employees
- 30+ volunteers (members) active year round
- + More than 100 volunteers for major events (Voiles de Saint-Tropez, Giraglia, 900 nautical events of Saint-Tropez, Dames de Saint-Tropez, Dragon…)
Mooring plan :
- 104 mooring places
including 35 motor boats and 69 sailboats
The activities :
- more than 15 events per year (sailing, fishing and cruising)
More than 600 sailboats participate in the regattas organized by the SNST, including :
- More than 300 units at the Voiles de Saint-Tropez
- 220 boats at the “Giraglia Rolex Cup
- more than 70 units at the “ARMEN Festival
- more than 60 sailboats at “Les Voiles d’automne”
- Between 40 and 70 units at the Voiles Latines organized by the City of Saint-Tropez
- Beautiful units for the 900 nautical race
- Over 100 sailboats regularly participate in the club’s other annual regattas,
Not counting exceptional events, for example:
- in 2004, gathering of more than 250 Dragons in Saint-Tropez
- in 2009, European Dragon Championship with more than 100 units…
- in 2011, European Centennial Celebration Regatta, 100 years of the STAR class
- with the participation of nearly 100 one-designs from this Olympic series.