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Gard (Department, France): Yacht clubs

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Club Nautique de la Baie d'Aigues-Mortes

Burgee of the 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 the CNBAM 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