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French Sailing Federation

Fédération Française de Voile

Flags of the FFV - Images by Ivan Sache, 6 April 2010

Presentation of the FFV
Flag of the FFV
Flag of clubs affiliated with the FFV
Flags of the regional sailing leagues

See also:

Presentation of the FFV

The organization of yachting started in France on 15 June 1867 with the creation of the Société d'Encouragement pour la Navigation de Plaisance, placed under the patronage of Emperor Napoléon III and renamed short after Yacht Club de France (YCF). The YCF remained the sole authority in charge of sailing and motor yachting until the Second World War. The "Sports Chart" issued on 20 December 1940 by the Vichy Government totally reorganized sports in France on the Italian and German models; the sports federations were placed under the direct control of the state, which appointed their leaders. Following the abrogation of the "Sports Chart" by the Gaullist government on 2 October 1943, new national federations were set up after the liberation.

The Fédération de Yachting à Voile was founded in 1946 but was officially recognized by the Ministry of Sports only in 1976, having been renamed Fédération Française de Voile (FFV) in 1975.
The duties of the FFV are the promotion, encouragement, development, management, teaching, organization, and regulation of sport yachting in its broader sense, including competition, leisure, educational and social activities, and tourism.
In 2009, the 28 regional leagues of the FFV encompassed 1,049 affiliated clubs. The top five clubs by their membership are the Société des Régates du Havre (2,006), the Société Nautique de la Trinité-sur-Mer (1,549), the Yacht Club d'Antibes (1,099), the Société Nautique de Marseille (924) and the Centre Nautique Paul Vatine [Le Havre] (811).

Ivan Sache, 5 November 2009

Flag of the FFV

The flag of the FFV, hoisted by several yacht clubs affiliated with the federation, is white with the logo of the federation in the middle.
The logo of the FFV is made of the writing "FF (white outlined in blue) Voile" (blue) with two blue and red stripes behind "FF".

A variant of the flag, blue with the logo countercoloured - that is, with blue and white parts swapped -, was seen on 16 March 2010 in Balaruc-les-Bains (Languedoc).

Ivan Sache, 6 April 2010

Flag of clubs affiliated with the FFV

Flag of the FFV-affiliated club - Photo taken in Marseilles by Ivan Sache, 28 April 2009

The clubs affiliated with the FFV are granted a triangular blue flag with the logo of the FFV (with blue and white colours counterchanged) and "Club" in red letters on the left of the logo.

Ivan Sache, 24 September 2009

Flags of the regional sailing leagues

The French Sailing Federation tutors leagues organized in each administrative Region; the regional leagues have local competences, especially in competition management and yachting training.

Alpes-Provence Sailing League

Flag of the Alpes-Provence Sailing League - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 October 2010

The Alpes-Provence Sailing League (Ligue Alpes-Provence de Voile, website) is in charge of sailing in the Departments of Alpes-de-Haute- Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse, that is the "Provence-Alpes" component of Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The league encompasses 52 clubs and nearly 16,000 members.

The flag of the League (photos, August 2008) is white with the logo of the League.
The logo of the League is made of a stylized blue pennant, "Voile" (Sailing) in blue letters, except the "V", bigger, in red, and a blue rectangle charged with the white writing "LIGUE / ALPES . PROVENCE", "LIGUE" being separated from the two other words by the base of the red "V".

Ivan Sache, 15 October 2010

Brittany Sailing League

Flag of the Brittany Sailing League - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 October 2010

The Brittany Sailing League (Ligue Bretonne de Voile, website), based in Brest, represents some 30% of the members of the French Sailing Federation and more than 185 clubs.

The flag of the League (photo, 17 July 2009), is white with a blue saltire, charged on its ascending arm with the white writing "VOILE - BRETAGNE" and cantonned with the emblem of the League.
The emblem of the League is an elegant variation of the Breton ermine spot, whose lower part is shaped like a blue and red sailboat. The three lozenges of the ermine spot are blue on the emblem; however, on the flag, the upper lozenge is blue while the two other are red. The colors of the lozenges are confirmed by D. Kervella and M. Bodlore-Penlaez (Guide des drapeaux bretons et celtes)

Ivan Sache, 12 October 2010

Centre Sailing League

The Centre Sailing League (Ligue du Centre de Voile, website) encompasses 27 clubs located in the departments of Cher (2), Eure-et-Loir (5), Indre (3), Indre-et-Loire (5), Loir-et-Cher (4), and Loiret (8).

The flag of the league (photo, 26 August 2012) is white with the logo of the League.

Ivan Sache, 12 October 2010

Haute-Normandie Sailing League

Flag of the Haute-Normandie Sailing League - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 October 2010

The Haute-Normandie Sailing League (Ligue de Voile de Haute-Normandie, website) encompasses 24 clubs and more than 9,500 members.

The flag of the League (photos, August 2010) is white with the logo of the League.
The logo of the League is similar to the logo of the Regional Council of Haute-Normandie, shaped as a sail, with the black writing "LIGUE DE VOILE" (Yachting League) along the upper edge of the sail and "HAUTE-NORMANDIE" below the sail.