Saint-Tropez, “daughter of the sea
Long before it became a haven for artists and a world-famous tourist spot, Saint-Tropez was essentially a village of fishermen, merchants, knights, defenders of the Presqu’île and, of course, sailors. So it’s hardly 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 trading post under the name Athénopolis, then Roman under that of Héracléa.
In Pisa in 68, Torpes, a Christian officer under Emperor Nero, was tortured; his headless body, thrown into a boat, arrived on our shores. He became the patron saint of Saint-Tropez.
Razed in 739 by the Saracens, it was Genoese sailors who brought the city back to life in 1470, bringing with them the republican colors of Genoa: red, white and red.
Then, to defend the city against all invaders, we needed good knights, sailors to boot. These valiant sailors are still remembered today, notably in the person of Bailli Pierre-André de Suffren, whose statue dominates the Port as if to protect the city. Nicknamed “Admiral Satan” by the English, with whom he competed in numerous naval battles, Pierre-André de Suffren was one of France’s greatest sailors, if not the greatest, and a true Saint-Tropez native.
…To the “Nautique” officialized in 1899
The first evidence of sporting yachting in Saint-Tropez came with the inauguration of the Statue du Bailli de Suffren in April 1866, when “great sailing and rowing regattas” were announced. The success of the regattas organized by Capitaine de Ville, Jean Baptiste Sanmartin, during the Bravade on May 18, 1899, led to the creation of the Société Nautique et sportive de Saint-Tropez, on May 18, 1899.
The society’s headquarters are at the Café de la Renaissance; annual dues are 6 francs.
Among the founding members were Messrs Pegurier, the first president, Delacroix, the secretary, Pessoneaux, Aubert, Decuers, Merier, Rebuffat, Cerisola, Sanmartin, and the painters Signac and Person. The handlebars are triangular with three vertical stripes: red, white and red with a navy anchor on a white background.
From 1899 to 1980….
In 1901, the head office was transferred to the Quai Suffren, and in 1902, a notice of race was published setting out the current rules for regattas… Just as yachting was booming, the First World War (14-18) brought “La Nautique” to a halt, with mobilization affecting both Tropezians and foreigners.
In 1925, activity resumed under the name of Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, with two sections, Sailing and Swimming, based at Château Suffren. Its affiliation to the French Sailing Yachting Federation (FFYV) dates from that year.
On the orders of the German authorities, a prefectoral decree dissolved “la Nautique” in March 1942.
On August 15, 1944, theharbor was completely destroyed, and on October 10, 1945, at an extraordinary general meeting, the Société Nautique de Saint Tropez was recreated.
It comprises several sections: Sailing, Motor, Underwater fishing, Pleasure fishing and later Water skiing. Its headquarters are at the Tour Vieille, then at the Tour du Portalet.
The first regatta week, “la semaine du golfe”, is organized with the neighboring club of Sainte Maxime in 1946.
In 1955, three major regattas were organized by the Club: the Saint-Tropez / San-Remo cruising race organized with the Compagnia della vella of San Remo, the Challenge Christian Dior Trophy on the Saint-Tropez / Porquerolles / Saint-Tropez course, and triangular regattas in the Gulf.
That same year, La Nautique adopted new bylaws, creating a Board of Directors and three sections: sailing yachting, motor yachting and water skiing.
In November 1956, an initial request was sent to the Saint-Tropez town hall to rent a plot of communal land on the edge of the Baie des Canoubiers to set up a summer clubhouse and sailing school: no reply was received.
In 1957, when a groyne was installed for members’ boats and a new bar and lounge was built at the Tour du Portalet, a commission was set up to manage the lake. The Christian Dior challenge with the Grand Prix Italia also takes place this year.
1959 was a landmark year: the club celebrated its 60th anniversary, several races were organized and the number of sections increased to four: Light Yachting, Grand Tourisme Nautique (for the development of cruising yachting), Motonautisme and Plan d’Eau.
In 1965, when the club was testing a cruising race between Antibes and Saint-Tropez, the project to extend the port by creating a second basin gave La Nautique between 50 and 100 berths, according to the Town Hall, as well as a Club House.
In August 1967, the Club organizesthe Ponant National Championship, while a sailing school and dinghy center are created at Le Canoubiers. By the end of the year, a section of the second basin was available.
In 1968, the Port became a paying harbor, and the Giraglia came to Saint-Tropez, bringing some 100 sailboats.
The sailing school opened to summer visitors in the summer of 1970.
To balance the budget, the accounts were split into three parts: anchorage, sailing school and Société Nautique.
In 1971, the Club House project came to nothing with the Town Hall. At the general meeting on August 3, 1971, Mr. Sterck proposed “the acquisition of a boat, such as a Dane or barge, to serve as Club House”. The Town Hall proposed a prefabricated building, to be paid for by La Nautique.
On May1, 1974, in the absence of any municipal subsidy, the Board of Directors voted to transfer the sailing school to the Union Sportive Tropézienne.
At the General Meeting of August 12, 1977, President Molle noted that “the Société Nautique’s sporting vocation is diminishing year by year, and that its mission as a ‘boat garage’ is proceeding satisfactorily”. Mr. René Perrier, who would later become President, proposed the creation of a prestigious annual regatta.
And so, from April1 to 9, 1978, the 1st Festival Art-Mer-Neige (ARMEN), initiated by Monsieur Perrier, was born. The 1977/1978 season features 7 days of racing, with 128 boats on the starting line.
In 1979, an offshore sailing school was created to train young sailors. The number of regatta days increased to 12, including the organization of the “100 milles d’été” with the Club nautique de Saint-Raphaël .
From 1980 to the present day :
August 3, 1981: The General Meeting confirms the sporting purpose of La Nautique and appoints a committee representing the aspirations of the majority of members.
In 2015, the merger of SNST and UST Voile takes 3 years.
The Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez is one of the most active clubs in the Mediterranean, thanks to over 30 years of stable structures and a wide range of nautical activities tailored to the needs of regatta sailors, fishermen and yachtsmen. Its purpose is the sporting practice of nautical activities such as regattas and fishing.
The Club’s turning point came in 1999, when the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez took over the organization of the “Nioulargue”, which had come to an abrupt halt in 1995 following a tragic accident.
The event now known as “Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez” has taken up the torch, with the leitmotiv of retaining the spirit of yesteryear.
Today, with almost 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.
A FEW FIGURES
Société Nautique now registers :
- Around 500 members
- 16 board members
- 3 employees
- 30+ volunteers (members) active year-round
- + More than 100 volunteers for major events (Voiles de Saint-Tropez, Giraglia, 900 nautiques de Saint-Tropez, Dames de Saint-Tropez, Dragon…).
The water :
- 104 berths
including 35 powerboats and 69 sailboats
Activities :
- more than 15 events year-round (sailing, fishing and cruising)
More than 500 yachts take part in the regattas organized by the SNST, including :
- More than 250 units at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez;
- more than 180 boats at the Loro Piana Giraglia (formerly the Giraglia Rolex Cup);
- over 70 units at the ARMEN Festival
- more than 60 sailboats for “Les Voiles d’automne
- around 20 classic yachts invited for the “Dames de Saint-Tropez”.
- Great boats for the PAPREC 600 Saint-Tropez offshore race
- More than 100 sailboats regularly take part in the club’s other annual regattas,
Not to mention exceptional events, such as :
- 2001 to 2019, organization at sea of the Voiles Latines organized by the City of Saint-Tropez
- in 2004, a gathering of over 250 Dragons in Saint-Tropez
- in 2009, European Dragon Championship with over 100 units…
- in 2011, European Centennial Celebration Regatta, 100 years of the STAR class with the participation of almost 100 one-designs from this Olympic series.
- in 2021: welcome and assistance at sea for the SWAN world championship
- in 2022 and 2023, hosting and helping to organize SAIL GP
- in 2023: Reception of TP 52 Super series
- 2024, SNST is the Club challenger for the America’s Cup of the French team “Orient Express Team”.