JH glides past an uncanny reality
August 2025, about fifteen miles off the French coast near Boulogne-sur-Mer. It is an hour before sunset. We are sailing downwind with a large yellow spinnaker sail. You can see us coming from many miles away.
In the distance orange objects become visible between the waves. While getting closer we recognise people on a large dinghy which is barely making any speed between the waves. We adjust our course to avoid hitting them and a moment later we’re skimming right past them. There are about sixty immigrants aboard the rubberboat. It will take them at least another ten hours to reach the British shore. They wave enthusiastically and shout “Hello! Goodbye!”. We wave and shout back ‘Goodluck!!!’ On they go: towards the UK coast. I take the picture.
Parallel worlds. I have seen hundreds of similar images. I have met and interviewed dozens of young Afghan immigrants in Paris and Calais around the year 2010 but to see up close how desperate they must be and how vulnerable they are, shocked me anyway