Société des Régates de Douarnenez

What Société des Régates de Douarnenez does

Société des Régates de Douarnenez is a 143-year-old French non-profit sailing association (association loi 1901) headquartered at 59 quai de l'Yser in Douarnenez, Finistère, Brittany, with operational facilities at the Maison du Nautisme on the pleasure port of Tréboul and a Classic pole at Port-Rhu. Founded on 19 April 1883 and recognized by the Yacht Club de France in 1886, the club organizes, governs, and provides infrastructure for sailing and board-sport activity on the Bay of Douarnenez, a 16 km × 20 km protected body of water.

The club operates through four discipline-based poles: Dragon (15-unit keelboat fleet, club boats available to members, regattas from April to September including international championships and France Dragon training weekends); Voile Légère (Optimist, ILCA/Laser, Europe, RS Feva training from age 6 with year-round Saturday courses, in partnership with Optimist29 and ILCA France); Glisse (kiteboard, windsurf, and wingfoil organized under the SKTeam community, affiliated with FFVL club 13005); and Classique (heritage yachts and BIP-certified boats participating in Voiles de Bretagne, Rallye Fever, and Challenge Métrique). Its 2026 event calendar includes the flagship Douarnenez Classique & National Requin, Coupe Gradlon, Penn Sardin Series, Challenge des Gazelles, and Challenge Fin Ar Sezon. The organization is governed by a 21-person volunteer board led by President Hervé Chauvin, supported by eight paid employees.

Revenue is generated through membership fees, event registration (via HelloAsso), regional grants from Ville de Douarnenez, Région Bretagne, and Département du Finistère, and sponsorship from regional brands (Valdys, Connetable, Leclerc Douarnenez, Henaff). The business model is a typical French community-sports association: member-funded, volunteer-operated, federation-affiliated, with FFVoile (club 29016) and FFVL (club 13005) providing licensing and competition governance. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed pricing, and no commercial customer base beyond members, participants, and sponsors.

Name

Société des Régates de Douarnenez

Legal name

Société des Régates de Douarnenez

Website

https://srdouarnenez.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Société des Régates de Douarnenez is a 143-year-old French non-profit sailing club in Finistère, Brittany. It operates four poles—Dragon keelboat, light dinghies, kiteboard/windsurf/wingfoil, classic yachts—runs a sailing school from age 6, hosts regattas, and serves members across all skill levels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Sailing Club Services

NAICS

Marinas (713930)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG), Surf, Kitesurf & Wind Sports Adventures (THAJABAK)

Keywords

• Sailing club
• Regatta organization
• Yacht racing
• Sailing training
• Nautical association

Headquarters

HQ city

Douarnenez

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Société des Régates de Douarnenez is a non-profit sailing association founded in 1883 that organizes sailing activities across four disciplines: Dragon keelboat racing, light sailing dinghies (Optimist, ILCA/Laser), board sports (kiteboard, windsurf, wingfoil), and classic yacht heritage sailing. The club offers sailing school training from age 6, manages a fleet of 15 Dragon keelboats, organizes annual regattas (Douarnenez Classique, Penn Sardin Series, Coupe Gradlon), and provides members with mooring, crane services, and access to the Bay of Douarnenez for racing and training.

Product overview

The Société des Régates de Douarnenez operates as a sailing club offering a multi-pole structure with four distinct sailing disciplines: Dragon (keelboat racing), Voile Légère (light sailing for all ages including Optimist and ILCA/Laser training), Glisse (kiteboard, wingfoil, and windsurf), and Classique (classic yacht heritage sailing). The club organizes multiple annual regatta events including the Douarnenez Classique, Penn Sardin Series, Coupe Gradlon, Challenge des Gazelles, and Challenge Fin Ar Sezon, complemented by training programs and equipment access for members. The organization also manages the Douarnenez Classique & National Requin as its flagship annual competition event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dragon Keelboat Pole
• Light Sailing (Voile Légère) Pole
• Glisse (Board Sports) Pole
• Classic (Classique) Pole
• Douarnenez Classique & National Requin Regatta
• Penn Sardin Series
• Coupe Gradlon Regatta
• Challenge des Gazelles Regatta
• Challenge Fin Ar Sezon Regatta A club regatta open to all members and friends of the Société des Régates de Douarnenez, scheduled for August 30, 2026 from 13:30 to 17:00, featuring Dragon, Intersérie Dériveur, and Classe Libre Voile Légère fleets.

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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ville de DouarnenezcoreOthersThe municipality of Douarnenez is a primary institutional partner, providing support for club events and facilities.
• Région BretagnecoreOthersRegional council of Brittany provides institutional and financial support for club activities and events.
• Département du Finistère (CD29)coreOthersDepartmental council of Finistère supports the club as part of regional sports and tourism development.
• Groupe ValdysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThalasso and wellness group Valdys sponsors club events and regattas, visible on event materials and partner pages.
• ConnetableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConnetable (seafood brand) supports Penn Sardin Series events with sponsorship visibility.
• Leclerc DouarnenezminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal E. Leclerc supermarket supports club events and is listed on the partners page.
• HenaffminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHenaff brand (food products) provides sponsorship support to the club's events.
• FFVoile (Fédération Française de Voile)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Sailing Federation provides licensing, governance, competition framework, and training standards. The club operates under FFVoile affiliation (club No. 29016) and offers FFVoile licenses to members.
• FFVL (Fédération Française de Vol Libre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Free Flight Federation governs kiteboard, windsurf, and wingfoil disciplines. The club holds FFVL affiliation (club No. 13005) and offers FFVL licenses to glisse pole members.
• France DragoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French Dragon class association works with the club to organize Dragon training weekends and major competitions. The club hosted Dragon Gold Cup and partners on 4 training weekends per year.
• Optimist29minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental Optimist class association in Finistère collaborates with the club for youth sailing development.
• ILCA FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ILCA (Laser) class association supports club dinghy sailing activities and competitions.
• Yacht Club ClassiqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClassic yacht club network supports the Classic pole's participation in heritage sailing events.
• Parc Naturel Marin d'IroiseminorOthersThe first marine park created in France (3,500 km²) surrounds the sailing area. The club promotes environmental respect within the park's ecosystem.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Société Nautique de Marseille: Major Mediterranean French sailing club with a heritage association structure and broad program across racing, dinghy, and cruising. Comparable in membership-club governance and French sailing federation affiliation.
• Cercle de la Voile de Paris: Major French sailing club based in Paris with a multi-discipline offering including dinghy, keelboat, and cruising. Comparable in organizational structure and breadth of poles though geographically centred on the Paris basin.
• APCC Voile Charenton-le-Pont: Large French member sailing club near Paris offering multi-discipline programming and major training school. Comparable in school-of-sailing structure and youth development focus.
• Société des Régates de Saint-Brieuc: Brittany sailing club with similar heritage associations (société des régates naming convention is common across France) operating a multi-discipline program and regatta calendar. Closely comparable in scope and member demographics.
• Société Nautique de la Baie de Saint-Malo: Major Brittany sailing club based in Saint-Malo offering multi-discipline programming (cruising, racing, dinghy). Most directly comparable French sailing club operating in a similarly sheltered bay environment with similar membership and regatta activities.
• Yacht Club de Carnac: Brittany Atlantic coast sailing club serving Morbihan. Comparable in scale and discipline mix, with similar regatta organization and seasonal member programming along the Breton coast.
• Club Nautique de Brest: Finistère-based sailing club operating out of the Brest harbor area with multi-discipline programming including dinghy, keelboat, and windsurf. Geographic peer in the same department competing for the same Brittany sailing membership pool.

Others

• Fédération Française de Voile (FFVoile): The national French sailing federation that licenses SRD (club No. 29016) and provides the governance, training, and competition framework. Functions as a regulator and standards body rather than a competitor, but is central to the operating model.
• International Dragon Class Association: International class association governing Dragon keelboat racing. SRD partners with the French Dragon class (France Dragon) for training and events; the class association is an ecosystem enabler rather than a competing club.

Broad incumbents

• Yacht Club de France: The national French yacht club organization that recognized SRD in 1886. Functions as an umbrella and certification body rather than a direct member-competition peer, but is closely linked to SRD's federation and recognition status.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SRDouarnenez
• Facebookfacebook.com/srdouarnenez
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9-des-r%C3%A9gates-de-douarnenez
• Instagraminstagram.com/srdouarnenez

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Société des Régates de Douarnenez