Stéphane Burgatt / Photo credits: Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
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08:33, May 8, 2024
The oldest three-masted French ship, the Belem, will parade all day this Wednesday in the harbor of Marseille. It will then dock in the emblematic Old Port of the Phocaean city, so that Florent Manaudou can set the cauldron ablaze. An event that makes many Marseillais proud.
Hoping that the weather is good, the Marseille harbor, in its entirety, will allow people to attend this parade with 1,024 boats which will escort the Belem. And for all those who will attend, the excitement builds, as in the port of Estaque to the north of the city.
The flame off this authentic harbour, sinners like Sylvestre still can’t believe it. “Oh yeah, it’s excellent! There’s pride, of course. It’s a beautiful harbor, it’s splendid and it’s preserved, so much the better”, says this sinner, his eyes full of stars. .
An honor for the Marseillais
Excitement is also building in the sports clubs which will be holding demonstrations at sea all day long as with jousting. Dylan, a member of the La Fine Lance Estaquéenne club, finished with his father pampering the two traditional boats that will set sail. “It’s true that we’re excited, because it’s not often that there has cameras that come to watch us. We will really be next to Belem. So it’s an honor for us too and we will make sure that everything is beautiful,” he explains.
And a breathtaking view for these athletes who will be at sea this morning like the president of the Marseille rowers Alain Délia. “We will be in the front row! We couldn’t miss this moment. We won’t see the flame soon! Our deepest desire was to see the Belem arrive under sail because it’s extraordinary! “, he says with pride.