Dunkirk Spirit?!

[brit bus driver]

So, at what point will all of those Day Skippers, Yacht Masters etc, paid for by the tax-payer, be mobilised to man the JSATSC flotilla in order to rescue stranded Brits on the continent?!!

Just an idle thought before nipping out to wash the volcano off the car.

:ok:

[SilsoeSid]

Well. if I was stuck at on the Continent, I think I'd be making the most of it and not fighting to get to Calais/Dunkirk/Le Havre for a place on an LSL.

There are times when 'fighting on beaches must stop' and we must surrender those last places on the ships to those that wish to return to the humdrum life back home. Moules et Frites anyone? :ok:

(apologies to Sir Winston)

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Well, looks like younger Snow of BBC fame tried, and has been turned away by les frogs! (see BBC news homepage!)

[vecvechookattack]

pba is correct....link here

BBC News - Presenter Dan Snow's bid to rescue tourists halted (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8627922.stm)

[TheWizard]

Very public spirited but is crossing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in a rubber boat with an engine with a bunch of stranded tourists on board (several times) a wise idea? This is hardly comparable with Dunkirk! :hmm:

[taxydual]

Don't worry. 'The Navy's here'.

Lord West is offering the services of 'The Boat People'.

BBC News - Ministers mull volcano ash cloud flight chaos measures (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8628605.stm)

[parabellum]

Even if you could muster a flotilla to go to France the whole operation would be snowed under by Health & Safety officials and Legal Liability lawyers!

[Vim_Fuego]

A day skipper would be unable to retrieve anybody from France as he/she is only allowed 2 hours from any port (its 12 hours from Gosport to nearest bit of France in a Vic)...The minimum qualification to allow extraction would be 'Coastal'...

Nerd sailing basics...:cool:

[racedo]

I'm with Silsoesid

Frankly there are worse places to be stuck that overseas in good weather, cheap prices than joining hordes racing back to see election coverage 24/7.

[bobward]

Having seen the news, and the fact that the Royal Navy uis about to sail to the rescue, here's my dumb question. What are they going to use?

With all the 'reallignment' of the defence budget, do they actually have any ships anymore?

Apologies to the dark blue - hard to type with tongue in cheek.

[vecvechookattack]

The RN are used to this. Operation Highbrow in 2007 was a similar evacuation



Just heard that Ark Royal, Ocean and Bulwark have all been activated. Will the Jets in Ark stay or are they not required?

[airborne_artist]

Need to project force, need to be able to do it while the earth erupts? Buy a couple of carriers, you know, the ships with airfields that can move to where you need them/away from the belching ash plumes, and hey presto, you can carry on bombing that third world-country/ship back the sun-blistered, brassic occupants of Harlow, whenever you like.

Simples :}