Geneva: on the water, the electro party that vibrated the harbor

Boats, inflatable boats, paddles or even buoys: boaters of all ages found themselves in number, this Saturday, to come and celebrate to the rhythm of the electros sounds of the first edition of the On the Water Geneva Festival. One afternoon marked by comings and goings of all kinds of boats between the banks of the pearl of the lake and the nautical and the place of the party. Between swimming, a festive atmosphere and unable to join the crowd, return to this end of the day.

Failed departures

That’s on The floating hotelLe Catamaran Float Innthat the DJs seized the turntables, facing a large crowd. The rescue of Geneva, present to ensure security with eleven intervention units, counted up to 209 boats at the height of the event. With floating boats, this figure would amount to more than 300, says the organizer, Stéphane Monbaron.

On site, the life jackets are struggling to be seen. But if the majority of boaters were able to join the center of the event, others were not so lucky. Offshore, some festival -goers who came with makeshift boats (buoys, inflatable boats, paddles, etc.) were forced to stay at a distance.

“A security perimeter has been deployed offshore,” says Léo*, who came with his inflatable boat. We had no life jackets, so we were forbidden to join the crowd. We could still party on the shore, but it’s a shame, because there was a lack of communication on this subject. If we had known, we would have taken it. “

Behind these frustrations, a specific regulation explains these restrictions. Indeed, the law prohibits beach devices, of the buoys type, more than 150 meters wide, unless you are escorted by a boat, specifies Julien de Planta, the rescue of Geneva. “People with light boats, such as paddles or kayaks, can exceed this perimeter provided they have life jackets.”

A festive atmosphere

Despite these rules and the imposed perimeter, the general atmosphere remained at the party. Music with Electro tones, worn according to the winds to the harbor, was not heard in the same way everywhere on the spot and did not dance everyone. While some have been carried away, dancing since their boat, others, more cautious, preferred to enjoy the festive atmosphere.

While the first boats arrived around noon to secure a place in front of the stage, four hours before kick -off, others avoided this scorching sun as much as possible. “We arrived at 5 p.m.,” explains Marc*, a boate who came with a family. It’s too hot, but the event is worth it and we take the opportunity to swim. ”

A few meters further, a group of young people aboard a private boat claims to pass “a great afternoon”. Clara*, one of them, confides that her boat did not receive the safety instructions, the group having arrived “too late, around 5.30 pm”. However, these young people say they are common sense: “As there are a lot of boats, you pay attention when you bathe, to avoid an incident.” On another boat, visibly joyful friends say it: “He who drives does not drink, of course.”

Safety record

“There was a strong crowd,” sums up Julien de Planta. But overall, festival -goers were very cooperative and there were no major overflows. ” However, there are 27 interventions, including: assistance to the boat, escort of the boats of the CGN and its fleet the heyday, maintenance of the exclusion zone around the Float Innaid in anchoring, organization of departures or prevention.

“We went around the boats to distribute the safety instructions and ensure that the boats were moored at anchor,” explains Nicolas Weber, a professional sailor who came to give a helping hand. In the event of a suspicion of alcohol levels with a driver, we were preventing the police, competent to take over. ”

While success was there, the idea of future editions seems to mature. The next one could take place this time with a radio channel, so that everyone can listen to music from their own boat, reflects Stéphane Monbaron.

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