PRESENTATION

The Yacht Club du Gaou Bénat (YCGB) was founded in 1966 as one of the two sections of the Yacht-Tennis Club of the Gaou Bénat.

At that time, members lent each other their dinghies (420, 470, 505, Ponant, Caravelle, etc.). Three young members who had done the Glénans gave private lessons for the price of babysitting or group lessons on the Caravelle. The forties of the board of directors organized the regattas. The equipment was limited to a few life jackets, three regatta buoys, a megaphone and a foghorn for the departures. Families who had a speedboat provided security in a festive atmosphere.

With the invasion of windsurfers and the harassment of the new regulations, goodwill has been discouraged. A long period of lethargy ensued for the Gaou Bénat sailing club in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2011, the takeover of the Gaou Bénat back-beach land by the owners of the subdivision reshuffled the cards. In 2013, two young people from the Domaine offered to rebuild the club with the help of a few more experienced owners and the support of the general assembly of the subdivision.

At that time, the YCGB became an independent "Law of 1901" association of the Tennis Club.

In order to comply with the founding texts of the Gaou Bénat subdivision, membership in the YCGB is reserved primarily for residents of the subdivision (owners or tenants) for their direct family and guests. By decision of the Club Office, some residents of the neighbouring areas that strongly support the YCGB are accepted as members under the same conditions as the residents of the Domaine du Gaou Bénat.

The YCGB is located on the back beach of Gaou Bénat and takes advantage, for navigation, of the wonderful setting of the Bay of Gaou Bénat, bounded to the north and south by the points of the Ris and the Esquillette and to the east by the islet of the Antgue. In the distance, about 12 km away, the Golden Islands offer magnificent raids.

The club aims for a high level of quality and safety and, for this, it has affiliated in its first year (2014) with the French Sailing Federation (FFV).

By their very existence, the YCGB and the TCGB (Tennis Club du Gaou Bénat) bring a significant improvement to the heritage value of the villas of the Domaine du Gaou Bénat. There is no longer an advertisement for the sale or rental of a house in the subdivision that does not show the considerable advantage that represents the existence of these two private clubs, reserved for the residents of the Domain.

The main objective of the association is to teach the practice of sailing to the children and teenagers of the Domain and to make them aware of the pleasures and dangers of the sea, in optimal conditions (small number of trainees per boat, supports ffV rules for the number of media per monitor).

The association is thus, above all, a Sailing School with a resolutely educational and sporting ambition, designed to promote the values of effort, competition, respect for others and the environment.

The secondary objective of the association is to make available to teenagers and adults already trained in nautical activities various rental supports: dinghies, catamarans, paddles, kayaks, windsurfers, ... The aim is to allow former students of the sailing school and former practitioners who do not possess equipment, to find the joy of leaving their wake on the water of the Gaou Bénat and beyond. This activity thus helps to keep the link between the different generations of sailors of the Gaou Bénat and to maintain the friendly and collective spirit of the club.

Finally, the constant aim of the activities is to create a "Club" atmosphere through end-of-training snacks for young people and cocktails at the end of regattas for the elders. Even before they are mere competitions, the regattas are organized to create conviviality and generate new friendships.

What could be more friendly and joyful than these groups of children or teenagers of the Gaou Bénat who we see taking pleasure in sharing healthy common activities, at the Sailing School or outside.

Starting from a blank page in 2014, without subsidies and capital, the club grew well during its first six years, while balancing its accounts (to everyone's surprise).

From a hundred internships (500 courses) in 2014, the club has grown to 280 internships (1,400 courses - 40 private courses) and in six years, the number of boat rentals has doubled. The 30 members of the first year club became a group of 270 members in 2019.

Since the club's rebirth in 2014, the fleet of navigation allots has continued to grow and improve. With 15 Optimist, 11 Laser, 10 Catamarans, 9 paddles, a dozen kayaks and 3 safety boats, the fleet has almost reached maturity. Frequent renewals of sails, fittings and engines have kept this set at a good level of quality and safety.

In 2019, the club takes a new step by becoming more "professional", more technical and even more qualitative, thanks to the support of a new management team with great experience detached from the Yacht Club of Toulon.

Starting in 2020, this caring partner will be helping to renew the YCGB's catamaran fleet (Hobie 15 and Dragoon) and to replace a safety boat with a significantly more powerful model.

Despite some strong gales from the East from time to time, the beautiful history of the Yacht Club du Gaou Bénat is not about to end!