Tuesday November 6th, 2001
Although we are not away from Seamaster, Peter has asked me to do another Jungle Team log today as practice for the journey ahead.
As I
sat in a small tributary off the main river where Seamaster was anchored this
morning surrounded by beautiful rainforest, I was thinking a lot about how much
preparation we still have ahead of us before setting off on our adventure
through the waterways of Venezuela.
My
first feelings and thoughts were that I must say something about the extra crew
that have once again joined us onboard for this Amazonian expedition. These
devoted and dedicated guys (commonly now known by us as the “downstream dream
team”), are all now part of the blakexpeditions family and once we depart
Seamaster will be taking her back out of the Amazon and Brazil, then sailing up
to Venezuela, to hopefully meet up with us in the Orinoco river.
They
have made a lot of sacrifices to be here and are crucial to the success of this
expedition, I/we in the Jungle Team give thanks to them for helping to minimise
our usual vessel workload in order to help us concentrate our efforts on the
jungle expedition ahead. Without them we would not be going.
As we
headed up to the town of Barcelos today with the downstream team navigating, we
were busy going over planning and preparation of equipment on the main deck.
Alistair
found time to write a few brief thoughts on the journey ahead. As you will see
he has a bit of a sweet tooth.
Cola
and other thoughts
Final
preparations are in full swing now as we pull all the necessary equipment for
our month long trip in the jungle out of the bowels of Seamaster.
We have
assembled a pile around the winches on deck and it just keeps getting bigger.
Many of
the “downstream dream team” have complained because this is the coolest area on
Seamaster (commonly known as “Rodgers”) and was the place to eat and relax when
under way. I guess they will not have too much longer to complain as it could
be as little as five days until we, the Jungle Team leave Seamaster and make
our way into Venezuela.
As this
pile keeps getting larger there are two key considerations that must be taken
into account.
Firstly
the Casiquiare, the natural canal that joins the Rio Negro with the Orinoco is
currently very low and our sources have told us that it has not been this low
for the past forty years. With rapids and fallen trees throughout the route,
this will make navigation complicated to say the least. Especially with a heavy
payload.
Opposing
this issue is the fact that we must take all the necessary equipment to remain
self-sufficient for the next four to six weeks, as well as all the equipment
required to mount a productive expedition. Gear such as filming equipment,
camping equipment, generators, diving equipment, petrol powered compressor,
underwater lights, climbing equipment, full tool kit, spare parts for all
mechanical items including the outboards, as well as our personal items are
only part of the list that just keeps building. Has anybody thought about food?
We are
going to be in a very remote area, and if, God forbid, we have major problems,
I don’t think it will cut it to “call for mum”. The only mode of transport in
this region without major air assistance is a long journey by shallow draft
bongo, so help will not be readily available as we strive to keep the timeline
and meet up with Seamaster in the lower Orinoco before Christmas.
As I
sit here preparing the kit, it is a bit of a juggle between too much gear and
feeling totally prepared. To do my bit to lighten the load, the two cases of
cola I had put aside will now not be coming. Anyway, who enjoys cola at 40
degrees C.
We will
be in Barcelos tonight, so it is time to think about last minute shopping. I
may buy a little special treat that doesn’t weigh too much, then I feel I/we
will be as prepared as we can be.
I am
very excited and also a little bit anxious about the next four to six weeks,
but would not trade places with anybody at this moment in time. It will be a
true blue adventure.
I hope
you stay with us on the journey.
Alistair.
We will
have other personal thoughts from the team as we get closer to our departure.
How
much equipment can we physically take with us has yet to be determined, but I
know as the pile builds that the possible portage difficulties will weigh more
heavily on our minds.
Best
Wishes for now.
Ollie, Seamaster and Jungle Team.