On the beach at Gravelines, northern France, before dawn fully breaks, the sounds create an uneasy atmosphere. The rhythmic lapping of waves is mixed with the steady hum of a drone flying overhead and, in the distance, the sudden gunshots of waterfowl hunters. Police officers on patrol shine their flashlights on the silhouettes of the first early morning walkers and sweep their beams across the dunes, watching for the moment when the fragile calm is shattered by the chaos of an attempted departure for England.

When the weather is good, crossings happen systematically. On Saturday, September 27, after six days of bad weather, 895 people reached the United Kingdom in 12 small boats, the term used for these flimsy inflatable crafts. The next day, more than 400 made the journey again, departing from the entire northern coastline. And the day after, 70 people traveled aboard a single boat.

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