A historical exhibition
Le Mille Sabords, created in 1984 by a group of enthusiasts whose credo was "boating for all", has today become a European reference for the sale of second-hand boats. In 1987, it took its current name, "Le Mille Sabords" and adopted its emblem, the black and white checkered lighthouse. Thanks to important values such as free entry, mutual aid, sharing and conviviality, the Mille Sabords now has a turnover of 15 million euros and has made Crouesty a leading place for yachting. Each year, in four days, 20 to 30% of the boats exhibited are sold, the rest being sold throughout the year on the website.
The idea of this atypical exhibition was born from an observation " At the end of the season, the following events took place the Grand Pavois of La Rochelle (in September) and the Paris Boat Show (in December), where the common issue was the sale of new boats. What was missing was a used boat show in the fall to resell boats before buying new ones." explains Bruno Guillon-Verne, the current president of the Mille Sabords.
The only player in this niche, the Mille Sabords has quickly become the reference in this field, growing from 5,000 visitors in its first year to 80,000 in recent years.
For this 30 e edition, the show has seen things in big by choosing as a sponsor Corentin Chatelperron, the adventurer-sailor of Gold of Bengal, by setting up multiple animations and by gathering all the actors of the nautical industry who celebrate this year an anniversary in "ten".
An institutionally recognized exhibition
The Mille Sabord is now considered by the public and the seafarers as an institution. Each year, more than a thousand boats are for sale during the four days of the show and more than double that number during the rest of the year on the Internet. This year again, more than 65,000 visitors are expected on the pontoons of the port of Crouesty. All types of boats are represented, from windsurfers to 44-foot sailboats, from semi-rigid boats to family fishing boats.
On land, many activities will be on the program such as "safety at sea", the "Thousand Fishes" and "Thousand Horizons" areas, the famous sea flea market, professional conferences, meetings with travelers, sailors, adventurers, but also games and activities for the youngest among us. Every year, the Mille Sabord enjoys a friendly and good-natured atmosphere. The Nautical Village gathers all the specialists in nautical equipment, fittings and sea wear.
New features on the program
This year, two major innovations have been implemented. The configuration of the show has been reviewed and a floating pontoon will cross the port to offer more space to exhibitors and visitors. It will allow to replace the sea bus which was the north-south link of the show. This floating pontoon will link the north and south pontoons of the harbour cove, avoiding the need to walk around the quay of the Cabestans and the quay of the Sailboats.
For this anniversary edition, the entire port will be illuminated every evening for the duration of the show.
A trade fair also present on the Internet
Very early on, the team chose to find ways to keep the show alive all year round. Thus, in 1993, the Minitel allows to place classified ads (3615 mille sabord) and in 1996, the Internet site is born. "Today, lemillesabords.com is a salon that lives all year long with the management of classified ads" explains the general secretary Jean-Marc Blancho.
