Space and wind are the privileges of the beach at Berck-sur-Mer, and it's natural that innovative and sporting activities have developed around these two assets.
In 1904, the first gliding trials were carried out on Berck beach. The painter Jan Lavezzari made flights of 4 and then 10 seconds on 10 February. The same year, on 15 March, Gabriel Voisin made longer flights which were officially presented to the Aéro-club de France by Ernest Archdeacon, his patron.
The sand yacht made its debut in Berck in 1905, brought by Michel Cazin, Alfred Belvalette, a horse-drawn carriage manufacturer, coachbuilder and inventor, and Jan Lavezzari, a painter. This fun activity began in 1898 in La Panne (BE). Louis Blériot organised the first competitions. We also owe him the first plans for the sand yacht we know today.
Anonyme, L’aéroplage ou chariot à voile, 1904, carte postale, coll. Archives Municipales, Berck
