Cercle de Voile de Vioreau

History

Cercle de Voile de Vioreau was founded in 1961 as an association of boat owners and has been located at La Boustière on the north side of Lac de Vioreau at Joué-sur-Erdre since 1962. The site consists of a grass field and a prefabricated building with a social area including changing rooms and a technical room reserved for Nature Sport Vioreau. Since 1995 the CVV has organised catamaran baptisms, which also gave rise to the Fête du Lac; since 2001 it has held the friendly „6 heures de voile“ regatta open to all types of sailing craft. In the 2000s the old fir hedge was felled and a new hedge planted; in 2003 roofs were replaced and walls repainted. From 2015 to 2017 the changing-room building was fully refurbished with new joinery, Douglas wood cladding outside, OSB cladding inside and proper changing rooms; exterior lettering followed in 2018, the old flagpole was removed in 2019 and a new mast with a weather station was installed in 2021. In 2011 the club celebrated its 50th anniversary with former members, a barbecue and old videos. The club website went online in 2012, and stickers to identify stored boats were introduced the same year. The CVV has repeatedly hosted official FFVoile windsurfing regattas in 2015, 2016 and 2017, sometimes with Nature Sport Vioreau. Members also take part in external events such as the Record de l’Estuaire at St Brévin or land-yacht outings. In 2023 Lac de Vioreau was drained for dam works, leading to a blank sailing season and a drop to 23 members. After refilling in January 2025 the water level returned to one not seen since 2016. The February 2025 general meeting reported 68 members, 28 stored boats and ongoing cladding work on the technical building. The 2025 „6 heures de voile“ drew 85 participants on 33 boats and the highest share of external sailors in the event’s history.