Tour des Yoles

The Tour de Martinique des yoles rondes, as it is known today, was initiated by Georges Brival, then president of the Yole Society. In 1984, he organised the first edition in its current format, held from 11 to 15 August. Eight crews took part, covering 110 nautical miles. The event was an unexpected success and has taken place every year since.

Sailing boat races have long existed in Martinique. In earlier times, regattas were contested using “gommiers”, fishing boats named after the tree from which they were made. Local patron saint festivals often provided the opportunity to organise these races, attracting large public interest. As the gommier gradually became less common in Martinique’s forests, yoles progressively replaced it. This transition, first observed in fishing practices, naturally extended to competitive racing, although the gommier has continued to be used.

In 2014, marking 30 years since its creation, 18 yoles rondes started the race from the beach in Fort-de-France.

In 2016, the event entered the digital era with the launch of the Yole365 application, followed by a website in 2017. Since 2014, a simulation game called Yoles Martinique has been available on iOS and Android, with updates released each year.

The construction process of the yole ronde of Martinique has been listed in the inventory of France’s intangible cultural heritage since 2017.