Rough seas once again prevent Global Sumud Flotilla from sailing to Gaza

Rough seas are once again standing in the way of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s goal of reaching Gaza and breaking the Israeli blockade. The expedition, which its organizers describe as “the largest flotilla in history,” has so far been joined by some 200 citizens from 44 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and the Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila.

Five of the 30 boats that departed on Monday afternoon from the port of Barcelona (Spain) were forced to turn back, and two never even left the harbor due to mechanical difficulties. Although the wind had decreased compared to Sunday, when the flotilla also had to turn back several hours after setting out, the strong waves in the Mediterranean Sea once again affected the smaller vessels, mainly sailboats.

The night on board was tough for many mission participants, who endured seasickness and vomiting. The rough seas also caused damage to some boats, including water leaks and electrical and mechanical problems. It is still too early to know whether all those who returned to port will be able to resume the mission at some point or will be forced to abandon it.

Around 20 vessels continued on their way to Tunisia, where another 20 ships from the African Flotilla are ready to join the mission to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid and break the Israeli blockade. The first group is expected to make a technical stop in Spain’s Balearic Islands to wait for the stragglers from Barcelona. For security reasons, organizers did not disclose the port where the ships would be stopping.

The goal of the mission is to gather as many ships and people as possible. The organizers, however, have reported sabotage of some of the ships in Italian ports, and fear that the number of people traveling will not exceed the 650 who traveled in 2010 on the Mavi Marmara, a cruise ship that was intercepted by the Israeli military and where 10 crew members died during the assault. However, they are confident that the record for the number of ships heading to Gaza will be broken.

Marinette, a 12-meter sailboat on which EL PAÍS is traveling, has not been spared from problems either. The engine began to fail early this morning, and it is navigating exclusively under sail. A mechanic from the organization is expected to be at the Balearic port to check the extent of the problem. Cameron, an Australian crew member who asked that his last name not be disclosed, managed to restart the engine, although it was still not running optimally. The crew remains confident that they will be able to reach Tunisia, even under sail.

The Mediterranean voyage was initially planned to last between 15 and 20 days, but bad weather and repeated returns to the starting point could prevent the flotilla from reaching Gaza before the end of the month. In June, Thunberg and other activists were intercepted by Israel as they attempted to reach Gaza on the Freedom Flotilla.

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