The towns of Mers-les-Bains, Le Tréport and Cayeux-sur-Mer have, in consultation with the local branches of the SNSM, canceled the baths on January 1st. This traditional New Year meeting cannot be held due to the violent winds blowing there. Storm Geraldine threatens.
Whether they take place on December 31 or January 1, the organization of New Year’s baths has taken a hit this year. All, except that of Fort-Mahon-Plage, were canceled on the Picardy coast this Saturday, December 30.
The first announcement came from Le Tréport. The New Year’s bath is a tradition in this town of barely 4,000 inhabitants. The Casino, which organizes this folkloric event in collaboration with the city, announced on its Facebook account: “on the recommendations of the SNSM (National Sea Rescue Society, editor’s note) which considered the weather unfavorable for the successful holding of the event, we took the decision to cancel the last swim for obvious safety reasons”, we learned yesterday.
Contacted by France 3 Picardy, the mayor of Mers-les-Bains followed suit. The councilor judged, on the advice of the SNSM of Doullens, that safety could not be ensured due to winds of more than 100 km/h. An event deleted for the third time “at least” since the end of the 1990s, when midnight swimming appeared on the banks of Mers-les-Bains.
“It’s always an opportunity to get together”
Véronique Bon, from La Rando Caouaise
And since the cancellations call for others: Cayeux-sur-Mer, further north of the two municipalities mentioned, has also abandoned its traditional meeting, according to comments reported by the SNSM Cayeux-sur-Mer, at France 3 Picardy.
Véronique Bon planned to participate in the party once again. Used to the Longe-Côte with the association The Caouaise hike of which she occupies the role of secretary, she had to be accompanied by the rescue dogs of the Bay of Somme.“It’s always an opportunity to get together and do things differently than usual, accompanied by a hot drink after getting out of the water, or a few bubbles for those who want it”. But it’s “Safety first”she concludes.
While the event is to be held for the first time in Fort-Mahon-Plage, no official communication has been made. Reached by telephone three times, the local branch of the SNSM did not respond to our requests this Saturday afternoon.
In Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the tradition is for the moment maintained. In Calais, in Le Touquet (Pas-de-Calais), as well as in Dunkirk (North). In the town of Wissant (Pas-de-Calais), one of the organizers told us that “in any case, we would not go beyond the first wave barrier as a safety measure”.