The spreading of sailing culture has been the main aim of the Circolo since it was founded in 1951 by Count Carlo Ponzani together with a group of friends with a passion for boating and the sea. The aims of the partnership were, then, especially for the dissemination of activities connected to sailing and motor boating. The limitations of the small marina of  Langano at the time allowed only for a small number of buoy moorings for the vessels of only a part of the members. The Board of Governors of Circolo Nautico Rapallo through their different chairs ( Ponzani, Pauly, Arrigoni, Gioacchini ) exercised increasingly constructive action stimulating, at a local and national level, the recreational aspects of the sea.
Essential and fundamental was the initiative of the chairman, Nino Arrigoni in the construction of the current Porto Carlo Riva. In addition to recreational and social activities, the Circolo stimulated sailing courses for students and sponsored regattas for different classes of vessels, hosting and favouring visits, tours, and exchanges with national nautical associations. Famous in the 60s was the Regata della Classe Snipe valid for the Trophy ” Coppa d’oro Scognamiglio” which saw the participation, for a number of years, of the best teams in the Class. In the 70s, the construction of Porto Carlo Riva di Rapallo slowed down the activities of the Circolo. In 1976 the renovation of Porto Langano allowed to expand the number of berths available through the construction of a floating pier and an upswing in sporting activities. Activities that had a noticeable impact in the youth sector with the Classes: Laser,  Dinghy  12p.,  470,  420, Europa. Under the chairmanship of Eng.. Gianluigi Brancaccio, Circolo Nautico Rapallo, honoured by C.O.N.I. with the ” Stella di Bronzo al Merito Sportivo “, found a better site in the small port of Rapallo. Currently the Circolo has approximately 250 members, a series of facilities as well as qualified staff capable of managing any sporting activities.