La traversée de Liège

Date: 6 September 2026

Location: Meuse, Liège, Belgium

Organizer: RYCM

La Traversée de Liège is an annual sailing event with an unusual premise: racing sailboats straight through the centre of a major city. The Royal Yacht Club de la Meuse (RYCM) organizes it each year on the river Meuse. In the morning, motorboats tow the participating sailboats several kilometres upstream to the start. At noon, commercial navigation on the river is halted, and the whole fleet sails roughly five kilometres back down through Liège to the RYCM clubhouse, escorted and followed by the motorboats. Entry is open to any sailboat, production or prototype, with one practical requirement: it has to fit under the Liège bridges, which keeps the rigs modest. It is one of the few linear-course sailing races held on the Meuse. The day ends the Belgian way, with a shared meal at the club and the prize-giving. A local tradition, and a fixture of the RYCM season.

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