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Gard (Department, France): Yacht clubs

Club Nautique de la Baie d'Aigues-Mortes
Société Nautique Grau-du-Roi-Port-Camargue

See also:

Club Nautique de la Baie d'Aigues-Mortes

Burgee of CNBAM - Image by Ivan Sache, 23 May 2006

The fortified city of Aigues-Mortes (6,084 inhabitants) in located in Languedoc, west of the marshy region of Camargue. It is often said that "the city walls of the sleepy city of Aigues-Mortes [lit., dead waters] are no longer leashed by the waves", which is very romantic but geographically and historically erroneous. Aigues-Mortes was indeed built by King Saint-Louis who needed a port to go on the crusade (Provence was not yet incorporated to France and was a remote vassal of the German Empire) but Aigues-Mortes, like other towns in coastal Languedoc (Agde, Sète, Narbonne) is located on a pond linked to the sea by a channel localy called grau. The village set up at the entrance of the channel is called Le Grau-du-Roi. Saint-Louis left Aigues-Mortes with his fleet in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and 1270 (Eight Crusade).
The burgee of Club Nautique de la Baie d'Aigues-Mortes shows a map of the bay and the blue Italic letters CNBAM in the "land" part of the map. The patron saint of the kings of France and of Aigues-Mortes, Saint Martin, is shown on the municipal coat of arms or with a cloak azure. These arms might have given the colours of the burgee, which could also be related to sea, sand and sun.

Source: CNBAM website

Ivan Sache, 23 May 2006

Société Nautique Grau-du-Roi-Port-Camargue

Burgee of SNGRPC - Image by Ivan Sache, 11 September 1999

Le Grau-du-Roi (4,000 inhabitants) is a small town located on the Mediterranean sea, The city is located on the channel linking the former royal saltern of Aigues-Mortes to the sea. Such a channel is called locally a "grau", thus explaining the name of the town. Port-Camargue is an artificial marina created in 1969.

Source: SNGRPC website

Ivan Sache, 11 September 1999