My first task on the boat is to ease a red rope from the cockpit while a Danish participant opposite me tautens a white one. Between us, we hoist the sail. The coastline of Augusta, Sicily, fades behind us. There are seven people on board: three French, two Irish, one Dane and one Irish-Danish for good measure.
Ours is the fastest boat of the Thousand Madleens flotilla sailing to Gaza just behind the Global Sumud ships. My boat was the last to depart; we saw off eight other ships at the port, having just shared a week of intensive training with those on board. All participants have been sleeping on our boats since we arrived, so we know their layouts well. I have found a space for each of my possessions to “live” in a cramped environment where everything must be kept in lockers.
