Club Nautique de Versoix

Club Nautique de Versoix (CNV) was founded in 1962 and is located at Port-Choiseul in Versoix on Lake Geneva. As one of Switzerland's leading training clubs, it combines sailing and water skiing and runs a renowned sailing school as well as the École de sport and Groupe Compétition for young racing sailors. The fleet includes Optimist, ILCA, 420er and 29er, and club members also compete successfully in classes such as J/70 and Surprise. CNV organises numerous regattas on Lake Geneva each year, including Semaine du Soir, Coupe Kim, La Double North Sails, Challenge Boubou and the Régate de Clôture. With more than 50 volunteers, modern harbour facilities, a restaurant, crane access and member benefits such as free boat lending, the club is a cornerstone of sporting and social life in the Geneva-Vaud region.

Versoix, Schweiz

History

Club Nautique de Versoix was founded in 1962 by Noël CHARMILLOT and established itself at Port-Choiseul as a training and racing club for sailing and water skiing on Lake Geneva. Jean-Claude MARTIN led the club from 1964 to 1967, followed by René SCHNECKENBURGER, who served as president from 1968 to 1979 and shaped the club across several generations. Over the following decades, the sailing school, youth development and regatta organisation grew steadily; under presidents such as Eric ISCHI (1993–2004), Denis LOURDIN (2005–2011) and Roland-Richard MARTIN (2012–2017), CNV consolidated its reputation as one of the leading clubs in French-speaking Switzerland. René Schneckenburger returned as co-president in 2018 and 2019, before Patrick TORRENTE (2020–2024) and Frédéric Macheret (from 2024) took office. The club has trained many top sailors, including Justine Mettraux, Bryan Mettraux, Elodie-Jane Mettraux, Lucien Cujean and Romuald Hausser. In October 2025, CNV hosted the Super League and Challenge League finals of the Swiss Sailing League simultaneously at Port-Choiseul for the first time in the league's history and won the 2025 Super League title – a historic achievement for a club from French-speaking Switzerland. Through the École de voile, École de sport, Groupe Compétition and events such as Semaine du Soir, Coupe Kim, Challenge Boubou and Puces Nautiques, CNV continues to combine grassroots sport, youth development and international regatta culture on Lake Geneva.

Information

Youth section

Active École de sport and Groupe Compétition with training two to three times per week, participation in regional to international regattas, and young talents such as Elliot Novara (Optimist world vice-champion 2026)