All aboard for Captain Bob's flotilla to France

But for Sir Bob Geldof, champion of the poor man, the choice was easy.

Turning his back on the gleaming yacht, he stepped gingerly into the dinghy, ignoring the 6in of water that swilled over his brown suede shoes.

And, as he steadied his sea legs, the message to Sussex boat owners from "Captain" Bob was: "Get your boat ready dudes - you're going to France."

Despite his jaunty hat, Sir Bob is no fan of the water. But he stepped aboard the little boat to officially launch Sail8, his waterborne protest directed at world leaders meeting at the G8 summit in Edinburgh next month.

Sir Bob is urging every small boat owner on the South Coast to set sail for France on July 3 and pick up French protesters in a recreation of the Dunkirk evacuations.

He said: "It's a wild idea but I would love to see hundreds, thousands of little boats crossing from Brighton to Dieppe and Dover to Calais and Portsmouth to Cherbourg and picking up their French cousins.

"At the same time, I'm asking ferry companies like Trans-manche and Hoverspeed to come with us.

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

In a personal message to readers of The Argus, Sir Bob urged every man, woman and child to get involved in the Make Poverty History campaign and he called on leading Sussex names to come on board.

He said: "The architect Frank Gehry, who is redesigning part of the Hove seafront, is designing the stages for Live8 so they all look the same at each venue around the world.

"Sir Paul McCartney is already involved in the London concert and Peter Blake, who designed the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper cover and the Live Aid and Band Aid logos, has done our design.

"I'm also hoping Norman Cook will be involved. I'd love him to be a part of it.

"Everyone can be involved - through Live8, Sail8 or by joining the Long March for Justice. It can be by transporting people to Edinburgh or by Mrs Miggins Aid - B&B landladies opening up their places at cost."

Sail8 has the backing of record-breaking, round-the-world yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, who called Sir Bob during his Press conference on the Hamble, Hampshire, from her boat off the French coast.

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 like the Channel Tunnel or on ferries. It just doesn't have to be boat owners."

Sir Bob said: "Something like this can only happen on the South Coast in places like Sussex. So please, get your boat out, check out your timings and get going. It will be as safe as we can possibly make it with the help of the RNLI and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

"There are risks but it is no more risky than driving up the bloody M23 to London. We live in a world of timidity and this is not the time for timidity."

Asked if he thought middle-class boat owners would answer his rallying call, he said: "Middle-class people are the most lethal people to have on your side.

"Normal people doing abnormal things frightens politicians. They will go: 'This is beyond normal - we'd better do it'."

He urged people to put aside the "twittering" about the weather which could scupper Sail8.

Sir Bob said: "Weather, schmeather - just get on with it. This is a chance for your hobby to have a true world significance. People may think their part is small - but it is huge. Everywhere in the world people will see the image of the British on the move to help others.

"The Long Walk to Justice is our one final chance to say to the G8 leaders, now is the time, this is the year - YOU can make poverty history.

"Maybe we will fail but it will be a triumphant failure for us and a miserable defeat for those men at the G8."

Register your support at www.sail8.ybw.com, www.makepovertyhistory.org or www.live8live.com