A gigantic nautical parade which could bring together up to a thousand ships will accompany the arrival of the Olympic flame on May 8 in France, off the coast of Marseille, before its disembarkation at the dock in the evening, the maritime prefecture of Mediterranean.
Any ship wishing to participate in this event, which will last nearly five hours, must first register, free of charge, on the Olympic flame route website, up to a minimum of 15 days before its arrival, within the limits of 1,024 places available.
“The goal is for this event to be festive with lots of people on the water to accompany this parade. However, the priority is that it happens safely,” explained Vice-Admiral Gilles Boidevezi, maritime prefect of the Mediterranean, recalling in particular that two people had died in the capsizing of a follower vessel during the arrival of the Route du Rhum in 2022.
To do this, boats must meet certain criteria: semi-rigid boats must have a maximum power of 250 horsepower, just like motor ships, with a maximum size of 24 m in length.
The sailboats cannot exceed 41 m, and will therefore not be able to overshadow the most majestic of them, the three-masted Belem (58 m), built in Nantes in 1896, which will carry the Olympic flame after his departure from Athens to Greece on April 26.
From the northern harbor to the Old Port
All the boats will have to meet in the morning in the “north harbor” of Marseille, opposite the working-class neighborhoods of France’s second city, then from 11 a.m. they will follow the Belem, which will go to the southern harbor until to Goudes before returning to stop between the Frioul Islands and the Old Port around 3:30 p.m.
To secure the premises, navigation will be very restricted for all other boats off the city and in and from its various ports, until 7 p.m., when the Belem should dock in the Old Port.
Other well-defined areas located on the Belem route, along the coast, will highlight various nautical activities by hosting “workshops” in kayaks, canoes, rowing, Provençal jousting and even traditional rowing. Another perimeter will be dedicated to Olympic sails, the disciplines of the Olympic Games organized in Marseille.
“I hope that the arrival of this flame in Marseille, which will give the signal for the Games, will also be the signal for something a little bigger, a little more lasting than the simple 15 days of the Olympics,” declared the deputy mayor of Marseille responsible for ecological transition, Hervé Menchon.
