The barge is already in the water. In the midst of a strong wind that jeopardized the operation, two large cranes lifted the 58-ton vessel from its usual location, in the maritime museum, until it was deposited in the estuary, from where it will be towed to the mouth of the Nervión. in Getxo. She will wait there for Thursday. That day, at 4:30 p.m., with the Athletic team on board, she will go up the river to Bilbao City Hall to celebrate with the fans the Cup title won on Saturday in La Cartuja against Mallorca. Two hours later she is expected to dock in front of the Bilbao town hall.
1⃣6⃣0⃣ boats will accompany La Gabarra this Thursday.
Check here the official boat tour schedules and safety instructions for a safe celebration for everyone. #UniqueInTheWorld 🏆 #AthleticClub 🦁
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) April 8, 2024
The players called her “the unmentionable” inside the locker room, where it was forbidden to mention the barge, but now there are no problems pronouncing her name. There will be 60 people, including players, technicians and directors, who will get on the boat, which, lacking an engine, will be pulled by a tugboat that will arrive from Pasaia (Gipuzkoa) and which is low in height since it must circulate below three narrow-gauge walkways, which did not exist in 1984, when he made the same route.
It is estimated that there will be close to a million people who will flock to both banks of the estuary to witness the passage of the barge. The population of Bizkaia is less than 1,200,000 people. In some areas of the route, such as on Estafeta Street in Pamplona during the San Fermines, rental offers begin to appear for the balconies that overlook the estuary. The first ones are 750 euros for 10 people, and there are some that even offer a snack for the same price. A couple of weeks ago, the Provincial Council finished preparing a pedestrian and bicycle promenade in the Lamiako neighborhood, in Leioa, which had been closed for months and which will be a splendid viewpoint, right next to the first soccer field in the one Athletic played.
The emblematic boat will be accompanied by another 160 boats of different sizes that will form the entourage, and that reach the maximum capacity provided by Athletic, which reports that there will be 110 private boats, 32 trawlers from all the rowing clubs in Bizkaia and will also be There will be 18 boats belonging to the organization and security services made up of the Red Cross, Firefighters, Maritime Rescue, Ertzaintza, Civil Guard and Local Police.
Private boats have had to pay to sail alongside the barge, something that has been quite unpleasant among many Athletic fans, who regret that the club wants to do business with the celebration. Even the Port Authority and the Government Subdelegation have distanced themselves from the charge of between 250 and 3,000 euros that the club has imposed. This last body issued a note in which it was stated that, “both the Bilbao Maritime Captaincy, dependent on the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and the Coastal Demarcation of the Basque Country, are not participants in Athletic Club’s decision to charge a registration fee to participate in the nautical event accompanying the barge. And until the publication of the Athletic announcement, the Maritime Captaincy and Coastal Demarcation was unaware of the intention to charge the participants.”
In principle, the club does not have to pay any fee for organizing the event. It is the Maritime Captaincy that grants permits for the use of the estuary after approving the security measures. A permit is required to carry out activities in public places, as is the case with regattas or other nautical events that take place in the Nervión, but for which no amount is paid.
The Athletic reminds that swimming in the estuary is completely prohibited, as well as the presence of unregistered boats, including canoes, mats and the like. Likewise, ask for logical common sense in the face of an event that is expected to be massive. In this case, the bathing ban is due to safety reasons. When the barge left for the last time, in 1984, it was due to health reasons. The water was so polluted that it was dangerous to immerse yourself in it. Now the estuary is regenerated, jumping competitions and triathlons are held. Bilbao has changed a lot. The last mass reception that took place in the estuary was that of the solitary sailor José Luis Ugarte, who in April 1993 sailed around the world in the Vendée Globe regatta.
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2024-04-08 18:47:28
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