Why a Booktrail?
2021: Based on the true story of an inflatable dinghy of migrants which capsized in the Channel causing the death of 27 people on board.
Small Boat
What you need to know before your trail
In November 2021, an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the United Kingdom capsized in the Channel causing the death of 27 people on board. Despite receiving numerous calls for help, the French authorities wrongly told the migrants they were in British waters and had to call the British authorities for help. By the time rescue vessels arrived on the scene, all but two of the migrants had died.
The narrator of Delecroix’s fictional account of the events is the woman who took the calls. Accused of failing in her duty, she refuses to be held more responsible than others for this disaster. Why should she be more responsible than the sea, than the war, than the crises behind these tragedies?
Travel Guide
Inspired by real facts
On 24 November 2021, an inflatable dinghy, carrying 30 migrants across the English Channel from France to the UK, capsized whilst still in French territorial waters near Calais and Dunkirk.
Twenty-seven people were found dead, while two others survived and were rescued, and another is still missing.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Small Boat
Destination/location: France, UK, English Channel Author/guide: Vincent Delecroix Departure Time: 2021
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