Can You Help Make Poverty History with Live8 This Weekend?

[Phweephwoo]

Hello

I was approached today by the office of Bob Geldof, to ask with helping co-ordination of the Sail8 fleet which is sailing into Cherbourg this weekend to pick up any Europeans who wish to go to Edinburgh for the G8.

They are looking for volunteers to be in Cherbourg over the coming weekend, to welcome the boats in and to act as a meeting point/translator etc. If you'd like to help at all, and could volunteer some time even an hour or two then let me know on 0632019064 or e-mail [email protected].

It would be great to see people from these forums helping to Make Poverty History.

Alex

[Phweephwoo]

Hello

 

Sorry not to have been in contact with you before now, I've been trying to get more details out of Live 8/Sail 8 but they're understandably a bit busy. All I have so far is:

 

The British "fleet" arrives in Cherbourg from lunchtime Saturday, they will arrive at the Port du Plaisance apparently, and leaves Sunday morning. I was asked if I could help out with all the people from France who will be boarding the boats checking they've got their passports/identity cards, and generally saying hello and introducing them to the sailors etc. Also of course saying hello to all the Brits, and making them feel welcome, pointing them in the right directions to find shops etc in CHerbourg, and generally doing what I can to make everyone's life a bit easier.

 

I've also been asked by the BBC to round up French people who'd be willing to be interviewed for Broadcasting House about their reactions to all these little boats, and Live 8 in general, so that should be fun.

 

I aim to get to Cherbourg about 11-11.30 depending on the traffic and I'll just stand around the Port du Plaisance looking lost and lonely all day, and probably half of the night, and then Sunday till everyone has gone when I'll pack sleeping bag back up in my car and head home to Brittany.

 

I'm sorry that's all I can tell you at the moment, but if you'd like to come down to the Port, wave at the boats, help out making everyone feel welcome, and maybe doing some translation, and who knows maybe being interviewed by the Beeb then that would be great.

 

My phone number is 0033 6 32 01 90 64 feel free to ring over the weekend to find out exactly where I am, and what's happening. Also don't forget if you're in Cherbourg tomorrow that there's a Make Poverty History event, and apparently the town hall is being draped in white ribbons, and all sorts of things are happening.

 

If I have any more information before I leave on Saturday morning first thing I'll let you know.

 

Alex

[Coco]

I've also been asked by the BBC to round up French people who'd be willing to be interviewed for Broadcasting House about their reactions to all these little boats, and Live 8 in general, so that should be fun.

 

I haven't really heard anything more about this since the idea was originally mooted by Bob himself.  But WHO exactly are these "little boat" owners?  Do they have insurance to carry their European guests?  What about weather conditions for small craft, busy shipping lanes etc?  It all sounds terribly risky to me and I would worry about being involved in this (albeit for a very good cause) from the point of view of encouraging people to partake in a VERY, VERY risky event.  There are a lot of foreign naval vessels in the Channel at the moment, following the Trafalgar celebrations.  Won't these small vessels just create an unnecessary hazard?  Having been in the Merchant Navy for 4 years, frequently sailing up and down the Channel, I know how busy/dangerous it can be.  I don't know that this is something that should really be encouraged.

Sorry to sound like a Killjoy, but no point in trying to save millions in Africa if you're going to risk the lives of 100s in the Channel, for what is, in effect, little more than a publicity stunt!

[Russethouse]

Coco, I share your concerns - just one accident would have the potential to mar the whole event, and the weekend sailors who BG is so keen to get involved, are unlikely to have the right equipment for such a crossing IMHO. Just how little are these little boats ?

Also, there has been a lot of talk about getting people there, but not very much about getting them back ????

[Toucan]

We went up to Cherburg on Sat (200 mile round trip), got there about 12.30 and left about 1.30. Couldnt find you or the fleet, saw the banner at the town hall. Made a change to get out of Calvados for a few hours though and went to a couple of Vide greniers so all was not lost!

Jane

[Will]

I saw on the BBC yesterday that there were about four boats taking part, and no protesters turned up to be ferried across the Channel. I can't believe it was really that poorly supported. Still the other events more than made up for it, and not even Mr Geldof can win them all I suppose.

[Miki]

[quote]I saw on the BBC yesterday that there were about four boats taking part, and no protesters turned up to be ferried across the Channel. I can't believe it was really that poorly supported. Still the ot...[/quote]

Bill,

You have lived here long enough to know how most of the Bretons, Normans and all the rest feel about about anything outside their own domain. Our daughters friends, when asked by me on Saturday, what they thought about the concert so far, said it is great, are the people in England going to watch the "highlights" of the Paris concert as well ? They really had no idea who Sir Bob Geldorf was, no idea about G8, no idea at all about how global it all was on Saturday.

No I wasn't shocked. Long ago I came to the conclusion that most French looked inwardly from their home, their environement, their village and perhaps even their dept, World matters were pretty low on their list. Of course that doesn't count for all the French, perhaps no more than it might the Brits but I do think that the Brits have a wider knowledge on these kind of matters.

[Deby]

Round these parts, nobody gave a hoot.  Very much an English affair I suppose.  Even though it was meant to be a world event.  Now if Jonny Halladay had been on stage that would have been different. Was he on in Paris?

I know the Germans were fully aware of the whole event and the G8 issue. I think Miki is totally right that the french definitely look inward and in that particular order.

I have learned so much more about France in my 18 months living in rural France and the Charente Maritime than when I lived in a city.

Deby

[Tourangelle]

No he wasn't! But what would you expect really from Chirac's best mate!?

[BJSLIV]

I think Johnny was a bit too occupied up in court over the last week or so, to be able to spend time bothering about performances or alleviating world poverty.

 

[Will]

No, I'm not at all surprised at the French apathy. It's just that from the build up the event had been receiving on some of the boating (and other Francophile) websites, and from press releases I had from the International Festival of the Sea people I was expecting something along the lines of one of the cross-channel floitillas organised for the various Dunkirk anniversary celebrations. The one I went on had some 80 or more boats, including a fair number of the original little ships.

[Miki]

True Bill but Dunkirk plays a huge part in French history. The sea in general, especially in the North of France is a major contribution in many French lives, whereas Africa, simply does not get a lot of the sympathy that the Brits and other countries give to it.

[Will]

Good point Miki - but come to think of it none of the participating boats then were French (just as Sir Bob didn't apparently ask French yachties to take part in his little fiasco over the weekend?). We did get a pretty good welcome from the locals at Dunkirk, especially as the boat I was crewing had a couple of veterans on board.

I note that the Sail8 event was for Europeans who wanted to travel on to G8 and the Edinburgh demonstrations though, so even allowing for zero interest in France, Geldfof could reasonably have expected some Germans, Dutch, Belgians etc (though if so why did he not organise the event on a shorter eastern channel route?).

Probably best to draw a veil over the whole thing and remember the events that did work.