A forest of masts, foghorn blasts, the sound of a bagpipe and the jets of water from the firefighters: hundreds of boats paraded off the coast of Marseille on Wednesday to mark the arrival of the Olympic flame in France.
With 30 Marseillais drawn at random, like Jérôme and his partner who won “on Instagram”, Le Parisien boarded the Hélios. One of the 1,000 boats that came to welcome the Belem in Marseille harbor. The majestic sailboat which has been carrying the Olympic flame since its departure from the port of Athens, began a navigation of several hours along the coasts of Marseille.
The captain of our boat tried to approach the star of the day, despite the swell and the numerous boaters who came to take part in the parade. “It’s a little far away, but it’s a really old and special boat, I’ve never seen a boat like that,” says Giovanni, an Italian student in Marseille who is one of the lucky ones who came to watch the show.
Around forty boats from customs, firefighters, the French Navy and the gendarmerie, with 360 people on board, were responsible for securing this exceptional nautical gathering. Closest to the three-masted ship, inflatable boats have created a safe “bubble”.
The boats were so crowded that they blew loud horns at each other as if they were honking on a ring road during rush hour, noted an AFP journalist. A crowd that also surprised Frédéric, one of the Helios passengers: “It’s a bit of a mess but it’s very nice. I didn’t think there would be so many boats of all sizes,” notes the one-day sailor.
On the deck of the Helios, despite the surrounding madness, the passengers savored the moment: “It’s an unforeseen adventure under the sun. There is a wonderful atmosphere. We share something that will not happen twice in a lifetime, with this arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille.” Watch our video at the top of the article.
