1st January 1997
Creation in Aix les Bains of the GWEL Limited Company (« GWEL » means « sail » in the Breton language).
Activities : Charter, sailing school, hire of equipment for boats.

1st January 1979
Setting up of shipyard for building yachts and centres for sailing schools on the coast : Toulon, Lorient and Pointe à Pitre (Guadeloupe).

1981

Sale of the yacht shipyard and purchase of the first passenger launch :
L’étoile du Lac
At the time, the average number of passengers using the 3 existing launches was 25,000 per year.

Mr Alain Prud’homme, who was then an insurer, took over the management of the company in collaboration with his son, Laurent.

1983

Reopening of the Savières Canal for boating traffic and opening of the Rhône Canal as far as Belley, Inauguration of the Savières lock.

1986

Launching of the Aix’ space, the company’s first restaurant boat.
Starting from this point in time, the company offered lunch and dinner cruises.
The evening cruises with the lighting up of the wild shoreline and Hautecombe Abbey, plus the restaurant on board were a “first” for this lake.

Gwel developed various products for tourists in association with these cruises.

1990

Buying out of the Compagnie Navi-Savoie : Another boat, the Hélios joined the fleet, then came the buying out of the Compagnie de Navigation du Lac du Bourget : Another boat, La Mouette, joined our fleet.
And, finally, the buying out of the Portout Plaisance company, with its boat Le Savières.

October 1991
Decision to build the Hydraaix. It was going to be the largest vessel operating on the lake.
This motor yacht, with its avant-gardist design made it possible for Gwel to compete with its colleague companies from Annecy and Lyon on a regional scale.

1st July 1992
The Hydraaix came into service : the company was expanding rapidly

15th September 1993
Death of Mr Alain Prud’homme.
General restructuring of the company, change of accountants, legal advisers and lawyers, subsequent to takeovers only GWEL Ltd remained. Laurent Prud’homme became the Managing Director.

15th September 1993
Buying out of the Compagnie de Navigation Touristique in Chanaz (2 boats) and setting up of a secondary establishment in Chanaz

1996

Buying out of the Compagnie des Bateaux Rhonalpins
(1 boat) and setting up of another secondary establishment in Lavours Belley (Ain).
Setting up of the Croisibus Department (development of packaged products and obtaining of an Accreditation for Tourism Activities from the Prefecture.)

1997

Setting up of another secondary establishment in Le Bourget du Lac with the L’Etoile du Bourget boat.
Setting up of new regular services between Le Bourget du Lac, Aix les Bains, Chanaz and Belley.

End of 1997
Decision to build a new boat to be named « Alain Prud’homme» as a tribute to him.
With its futuristic design and very advanced technology, it meets a need that had not been satisfied before

14th April 1999
Signature of the contract ordering the Company’s new boat :
The « Alain Prud’homme »
This contract was signed by :
Laurent Prud’homme for GWEL Ltd,
Dieter K.Gust for CNB Bénéteau,
Philippe Nineuil (a naval architect) for Techni Carène.

4th May 2000
Jacques Chirac, the President of the French Republic, came aboard the Hydraaix for the presentation
Of two important projects :
TheGrand Lac project and the rail link between Lyon and Turin.

May 2000
Putting into service of the «Alain PRUD’HOMME ».

15th October 2000
Naming ceremony of the « Alain PRUD’HOMME » in the presence of its namers, Annette Roux, Chairwoman and Managing Director of the Bénéteau Group and Jean Prud’Homme (the brother of Alain Prud’Homme), together with a large number of local political figures and other celebrities. An unforgettable day.

January 2004
The GWEL Limited Company changed its French status to one (SAS) which corresponds with its larger size