Bob Geldof called on the sailing community today to recreate Dunkirk by sailing across the Channel in support of his political campaign to eradicate Third World poverty ahead of this year’s G8 Summit.

Speaking at the launch in Swanwick Marina, Southampton, Geldof said: "What we are asking people to do is not recreate D-Day but recreate Dunkirk which is one of the great national legends of our country where normal people got in their boats to rescue our soldiers, 380,000 of them, who were surrounded and came back to fight another day.

"We are asking people to get into their boats in their thousands and pick up the people of France who wish to participate."

The former Boomtown Rats singer also called on hoteliers, ferry companies and coach owners to offer their services to French visitors for free in support of the Live 8/Long Walk To Justice campaign taking place to coincide with the G8 Summit of world leaders at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland from July 6-8.

The campaign is not aimed at charity, but political justice, by persuading the G8 leaders to eradicate spiralling debt and unfair trade in Africa.

Geldof said: "What we are trying to do is to get the rich world on the move on behalf of those who cannot even crawl.

"It will be many hours of sailing and picking up people they may not even be able to communicate with, but the symbol of that effort will be a great symbol of unity and friendship."

A spokesman for Solent Coastguard said the Channel was "one of the busiest waterways in the world" and that Solent Coastguard was responsible for "the main two shipping lanes feeding the main part of Europe".

The spokesman added: "It will certainly make the coastal towns really busy.

If people are going to go to sea to support this campaign make sure their vessels are capable of carrying out the journey and that the preparations are done beforehand.

"Not everybody will heed that warning. You will always get the odd idiot out there and you can prepare to do a journey but with a lot of vessels on the water there’s always going to be accidents happening."

Geldof said all the relevant coastal agencies would be informed, including large shipping companies, coastguards, lifeboat rescue and marine safety organisations, ahead of the mass Channel crossing.

He added: "We live in a world of timidity and this isn’t the time for timidity.

"If you don’t think it will make any difference you are wrong. We urge you to take due caution but not to take unnecessary caution."

British yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur has put her name to the event to support the ‘Sail 8’ initiative "because all of us are responsible for the world and the environment we live in".

Speaking from just off the coast of France she said: "Although I can’t claim to understand everything about the issues it isn’t too complicated."

She said: "Anyone who has qualifications and a safe boat to go across the Channel, July is a good time to do it. There are many ways to cross the Channel, the Channel Tunnel, the ferries, it just doesn’t have to be boat owners."

Live 8, part of the Make Poverty History campaign, will be the biggest musical event since Live Aid 20 years ago with five free concerts taking place simultaneously on July 2 in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Philadelphia.

A Make Poverty History rally is also to take place in Edinburgh, followed by a free anti-poverty concert at Murrayfield rugby stadium, in the capital city, with both events known as the Long Walk To Justice to mark the opening of the G8 Summit on July 6.

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