During the month of August in 2010, Gilbert Vacheret, a founding member with a French delegation of the club Société Nautique de Bordeaux, went to the U.S. to meet with the ACBS.
Lou Rauh introduced Gilbert to several chapters and one in particular, the Water Wonderland chapter, offered him the opportunity to visit the Van Dam boatyard. Lou and Gilbert traveled 1,111 miles from Chicago, around Lake Michigan and back to Chicago to meet a lot of classic wooden boat lovers.
On Saturday, August 14, 2010, Gilbert participated in the thirty-third Classic Boat Show in Hessel, MIchigan hosted by the ACBS and the local chapter.
Thanks to Gerry Vande Vusse for introducing Gilbert to Tom Flood, a fellow Hacker fan. Additionally they met John Bergstrom, who was then the Vice-President of the ACBS. They shared a family picnic with John and it was in this moment of sharing that they decided to propose the creation of the France chapter. For a year, Bill Truex and Gilbert Vacheret helped to form the new chapter, the first outside of the American continent.
On the 23th of September 2011, the new chapter was born.
Our nine founding members continue to be active in the chapter and our membership numbers have grown to 21. The members of the France chapter are mainly from Bordeaux, but little by little, we hope to have members across France. This allows for true diversity in membership. Our goal is to take part in events all over Europe.
We think the greatest pride is to own a magnificent boat like Miss Nancy, a Hacker Craft 30-foot triple cockpit which won the Elegance prize in 2019 during the Monaco Classic week which commemorated the American year.
In May 2023, the France chapter welcomed a delegation of the ACBS board to continue strengthening the relationship between our chapter and those in the US. We also celebrated the creation of a new European chapter, ACBS Nordic, an event that strengthened our ties.
To further develop our chapter, we are in collaboration with the Voiles d’Antibes, the organizer of a classic sail event for 30 years. This year we created the Motor Boat Elegance Award with them. Gilbert’s boat, Liberthines, won the first prize in a series that we hope will continue long into the future.
Every year, just before we winterize our boats, members of our chapter go to Cazaux Lake, near Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, for a beautiful boating weekend. La Caravelle (http://www.lacaravelle.fr) is a hotel located on the bank of the lake, with her own beach and is a great spot for beaching boats. This lake, covering 56.000 sqm, is the second largest lake in France. So that all members are able to stay connected, we also have a dinner each month so that we can share our passion for antique boats.
We will continue efforts to continue developing the classical yachting and wooden runabout community in France.
As a member of both Michigan-based ACBS clubs, and a life-long resident of Michigan, I know first-hand how many beautiful boating opportunities our state provides. And our neighbors in Canada have a very rich French heritage, so I am sure Gilbert Vacheret was warmly received throughout the Great Lakes.
If the ACBS wants to put together a small delegation to visit Gilbert in his home port, I will be one of the first to sign up for the trip!