CLUB NAUTIQUE DE NICE

What CLUB NAUTIQUE DE NICE does

Club Nautique de Nice (CNN) is a nonprofit nautical sports association (association loi de 1901) founded on March 14, 1883 in Nice, France, and currently led by President Gilles Chatenet. The club operates from a waterfront facility at 50 boulevard Franck Pilatte at the entrance of Nice's port and serves approximately 700-800 members plus thousands of annual trainees, school groups, and corporate clients. It runs four product pillars — sailing (Voile), rowing (Aviron), motorboating/eFoil (Motonautisme), and adaptive sports (Handisport) — supported by a diverse fleet (Optimist, Laser/ILCA, Hobie Cat, RS500, Echo 90, Surprise, Star) and equipment for both leisure and competitive pathways.

The club is staffed by a small paid team (8 employees) plus a network of professional coaches and volunteers, with a board comprising section vice presidents for Aviron, Motonautisme, and Voile, and an administrateur collective. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues (€345-€520 per category, plus federation license fees of €32-70), one-time stage/camp fees (e.g., €157-205 for 5 half-day Discovery packages), the on-site Club House restaurant (member discount of 20%), corporate seminar and team-building packages, charitable donations with 66% French tax deduction, and corporate sponsorship arrangements. The club receives institutional support from Ville de Nice, Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and Département des Alpes-Maritimes, and is affiliated with FFV, FFA, and Fédération Française Handisport.

Commercially, the club is event-driven and direct-to-consumer, relying on marquee international regattas (Nice Christmas Regatta since 1955, Adonnante Cup since 2018, Challenge La Pérouse), Facebook/Instagram, and word-of-mouth community engagement. Competitive credentials include 7 Olympic participants (1900-2020), 14 world rowing podiums, 6 European rowing champions, and 50+ international/French rowing medals. In 2024 the sailing section logged 55 podiums (43 youth), and the club ranks 11th nationally out of 304 French clubs in dinghy sailing, having risen from 20th in 2022. Technology is limited to a WordPress website and a third-party booking platform (axyomes.com), with no proprietary software, AI, or fintech components.

Name

CLUB NAUTIQUE DE NICE

Legal name

Club Nautique de Nice

Website

https://cnnice.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Club Nautique de Nice is a 1883-founded nonprofit nautical sports association in Nice, France, offering sailing, rowing, efoil, and handisport programs to ~800 members, school groups, and corporate clients through a historic waterfront facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Nautical Sports Club

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing) (MPAKABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Nautical sports club
• Sailing instruction
• Rowing programs
• Adaptive handisport
• Sailing regattas

Headquarters

HQ city

Nice

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from €345 to €520 for various categories (adults, minors, spouses, children of members), plus federation license/insurance fees of €32-70 per year. Membership runs October 1 to September 30.
2. Stage (Camp) Fees: Sailing and rowing camps during school holidays (Easter, summer, etc.), priced per half-day or multi-day packages. Discovery formula sessions (5 half-days) priced at €157-205. Individual rowing summer camps (July-August) in 5-day blocks at 9h-12h.
3. Club House Restaurant: On-site restaurant operating on membership discount model. Members receive preferential pricing on menus (Club menu at €14, Express at €11, Plat alone at €8). Revenue from non-member dining also contributes.
4. Donations and Sponsorship: Charitable donations eligible for 66% income tax deduction in France. Corporate sponsorship and patronage arrangements with logo placement on boats, minibus, and communication materials. Annual travel and competition budget funded partly through donations (€26,000/year for rowing travel costs alone).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Club Nautique de Nice is a non-profit nautical sports association offering sailing instruction (Voile), rowing (Aviron), electric foiling (Efoil), and adaptive handisport programs from its waterfront facility in Nice. The club sells annual memberships (€345-€520), vacation camps, corporate team-building packages, and organizes international regattas. Revenue is supplemented by an on-site Club House restaurant, charitable donations, and institutional support from Ville de Nice, Région Sud, and Département des Alpes-Maritimes.

Product overview

Club Nautique de Nice is a nonprofit nautical sports association founded in 1883, offering a comprehensive portfolio of water sports activities. The organization operates three main sections—Voile (sailing), Aviron (rowing), and Motonautisme (motorized water sports via efoil)—supplemented by a dedicated handisport program. The sailing division provides training and competition programs through a diverse fleet of vessels (Optimist, Laser/ILCA, Hobbie Cat, RS500, Echo 90, Surprise, and Star), while the rowing section offers leisure and competitive programs using yoles, solo shells, doubles, and four-oared coxed vessels. Additional offerings include school holiday nautical camps, the annual Bay of Angels rowing excursion, and three major sailing competitions (Nice Christmas Regatta, Adonnante Cup, and International Star Regatta). The club also operates a restaurant (Club House) with panoramic terrace views, a private beach platform, fitness room, and paddle-stand-up equipment. With approximately 700-800 members and thousands of annual campers, the club functions as a community sports organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voile (Sailing School) The sailing section offers training and activities for all levels, from beginners to competitive athletes. The section provides catamarans, dinghies, and keelboats available to members, with programs including Optimist, Laser (ILCA), Hobbie Cat, RS500, Echo 90, and Surprise vessels. Targets members aged 7 and above for sailing instruction and competition.
• Aviron (Rowing) The rowing section provides leisure and competitive rowing programs for all ages (minimum 10 years). The club offers yoles, yolettes, solo boats, doubles, and four-oared coxed shells, with access to sea rowing and lake facilities at Lac de Saint-Cassien. Has produced 14 world podiums, 6 European champions, and athletes at 7 Olympic Games.
• Efoil (Electric Foiling) The efoil section offers electric hydrofoil boarding experiences, representing the club's motorsports division's evolution toward electric propulsion. Activities provide silent electric gliding with autonomy up to 35 km, accessible to beginners and experienced riders.
• Handisport (Adaptive Sports)

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 8th out of 304 French clubs in 2023 national dinghy ranking, up from 20th in 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Ville de Nice (City of Nice)majorOthers · 1 January 1883The City of Nice has been a long-standing public authority partner, providing support for defined actions. The club's headquarters sit on municipal or port land and the city is acknowledged as a key supporter on the club's homepage logo wall alongside Region Sud and Departement des Alpes-Maritimes.
• Region Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurmajorOthers · 1 January 1883Regional council recognized as a key financial supporter alongside Ville de Nice and Departement des Alpes-Maritimes, acknowledged on the club's homepage logo wall.
• Departement des Alpes-MaritimesmajorOthers · 1 January 1883Departmental council acknowledged as a key financial supporter alongside Ville de Nice and Region Sud, acknowledged on the club's homepage logo wall.
• Fédération Française de Voile (FFV)coreOthers · 1 January 1883The French Sailing Federation issues sailing licenses/insurance to club members and organizes national competition circuits. The club is affiliated and operates under FFV rules.
• Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Aviron (FFA)coreOthers · 1 January 1883The French Rowing Federation issues rowing licenses/insurance to club members and organizes national competition circuits. The club is affiliated and operates under FFA rules.
• Fédération Française HandisportcoreOthers · 1 January 1883The French Handisport Federation is affiliated with the club for its adaptive sailing and rowing programs. The club's handisport section operates under this federation's guidelines.
• Corporate Sponsors (General)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal businesses and enterprises partner with the club through sponsorship arrangements, receiving logo placement on boat hulls, the minibus, and communication materials, plus sponsor board visibility (8,000+ annual visitors). Specific corporate sponsors are not individually named in the available source material.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Cercle de la Voile de Paris: Historic Parisian sailing club with similar mix of recreational, instructional, and competitive sailing. Comparable membership-based business model but operates in an inland/urban environment rather than CNN's Mediterranean setting.
• Société Nautique de Genève: Geneva-based sailing club where CNN coach David Deguine previously coached. Comparable private membership club offering recreational and competitive sailing, but operating on Lake Léman rather than the Mediterranean, serving Swiss members.

Others

• Fédération Française de Voile: National governing body for sailing in France, of which CNN is an affiliated club. While not a peer in a competitive sense, FFV administers the national competition circuit, license issuance, and ranking system in which CNN competes, making it the structural counterparty to CNN's sailing operations.

Direct peers

• Yacht Club de Saint-Tropez: Saint-Tropez yacht club operating on the same French Riviera coast with a comparable membership-driven sailing/regatta program. Direct competitor in the luxury Côte d'Azur market for both members and event hosting.
• Société des Régates d'Antibes: Antibes-based yacht club and major international regatta organizer on the French Riviera. Highly comparable in event-hosting business (regattas) and in target competitive sailing market segment on the same Mediterranean coastline.
• Aviron Nice Métropole: Local rowing club based in the Nice metropolitan area, competing directly with CNN's Aviron section for rowing members, coaching talent, and competitive athletes on the same Baie des Anges waters.
• Yacht Club de Cannes: Côte d'Azur yacht club located 30 km from Nice, offering recreational and competitive sailing on the same Mediterranean waters. Comparable membership-based club model with active regatta calendar and youth sailing programs in the same regional competitive market.
• Société Nautique de Monaco: Monaco's flagship private yacht and sailing club, similarly positioned as a prestigious Mediterranean membership club offering competitive and recreational sailing programs. Highly comparable in target member base (affluent Riviera members), Olympic-level coaching, and event hosting (Monaco Yacht Show, regattas).
• Club Nautique d'Antibes: Nearby French Riviera sailing club where CNN coach Didier Charvet previously served as head of competition. Operates a comparable recreational/competitive sailing program with similar dinghy fleets and Mediterranean exposure, serving as a direct regional competitor for talent and members.

Broad incumbents

• Yacht Club de France: France's most prestigious national yacht club with broader geographic reach and a higher-tier membership base. Shares a sailing/regatta heritage and a similar elite member focus but operates as a broader incumbent with wider services than CNN's localized Riviera offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CNNice
• Instagraminstagram.com/clubnautiquedenice/?hl=fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/club-nautique-de-nice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CLUB NAUTIQUE DE NICE