Sir Peter Blake - A NZ HERO

SEAMASTER LOG 186 | TUESDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2001

LOCATION Rio Amazonas
STATUS Still Motoring
CONDITIONS Pleasant
AIRTEMP 35deg
WIND 15 knot Esaterly
SEASTATE Moderate/lumpy
VISIBILITY Moderate

Seamaster on the upper Rio Negro at low water
Navigation easier by day
Craft of all shapes and sizes work on the Rio Amazonas
A hazy smoky sunrise this morning-- the river quiet
Travelling down the Amazon at night.
Dusk has turned the surface of the river into a greasy
grey--with the sky quickly darkening after
the sun's orange and golds have gone. We
always hope for a clear night, and tonight the
moon will be up soon after 9pm-- but this means
two and a half hours of real blackness
before then.

There are flashes of lightning up ahead-- with the
radar showing a band of rain stretching out either
side of our course. There are lights of ships, barge
traffic, ferries and small towns; and the
flaming floating pots marking the extremities of
the fishing nets to avoid.

A cool breeze blows out of the lightning cloud and the
as-yet unfelt rain.

The moon is up but soon disappears behind the arriving
ragged cloud--a few cold drops are felt-- but then
that passes, leaving us in clearing
conditions, the only breeze provided by our
forward speed.

The rain that has fallen, before getting to us, leaves
the air full of the smells of damp earth and warm
vegetation.

The river tonight is flat calm-- then turns choppy
briefly in puffs of wind from the clouds-- then calm
once more. At times the swirls and small
waves are caused by the current flowing over the
very uneven river bed--40 metres at times with
sheer cliffs to 20 metres-- then deep again; and
sand waves up to 12 metres high beneath us
show on the depth sounder -- regular as a
geometric design, the sand slowing marching to the
Atlantic on a journey that began thousands of mile
away, driven onward by this vast amount of
moving fresh water.

There is a crew member on the bow of Seamaster-- on
lookout duty- mainly for large logs, patches of
floating weed, or fishing boats without lights.
He has the big searchlight with which to
check from time to time. It can be quite cold
up in front-- the temperature down to 26degrees C
or so-- and thermals are occasionally needed and
worn.-- How strange to be in the Amazon with
polar fleece jacket and trousers on.

The lookout is in contact with the pilot house-- the
crew there monitoring engine gauges, making
hourly checks of the engine room, pumping
fuel, marking our progress on the chart, and
keeping an eye on the radar and depth sounder--
our two most useful instruments for this river
travel. Hardly more than a few minutes goes by
without a change of course to keep in the deepest
section, or avoid a sandbar, or pass an
island,--so there is not much time to relax.

Tonight there are bands of smoke-- thick smoke--
pouring out of some of the inlets and out of the
forest-- making walls right across the river.
The smell of the burning forest fills the air--
and also our cabins.

Strong wafts of the aroma of piles of Brazil nuts add
to the tang of the smoke.

But we have the river flowing with us-- so are making
great progress, covering in one day what it took 3
days to do on the way up.

The dawn is always welcome, although with the seasons
now rapidly changing the clear fine days
are becoming less-- more frequent clouds and high
haze foretelling the not-too-distant arrival
of the wet season.

Daytime: The high land around Almeirim is over to port. There
is a large cloud overhead at the moment,
causing a breeze to blow along the river, but it
also provides welcome shade for a few minutes.

The green frame of the Amazon rain forest is ever
present--contrasting with the red-earth scars on
higher ground, and the yellow clay by the waters edge.

Being daytime it is easier to avoid the floating wood
and weed rafts, but a keen eye is still required.

We haven't hoisted sails for more than 2 months now--
but this will soon be corrected when we turn left
out of the mouth of the river and enter the
trade winds;- early next week, fingers crossed!

Sitting here on the bow in just a pair of shorts, well
clear of the drum of the engines, just the
slap of the bow wave underneath me, the shadow of
our masts and flags on the brown river surface is
very clear on our port side. The sun is no-longer
overhead any more, but in three weeks time will be at
its farthest point south and will then begin the
six month haul back to its most northern point again.

A standard day is 3 hours on watch and 6 off--but
compared to ocean voyaging the stresses are
considerably higher, so it's good to catch up on
sleep whenever possible and be fully ready for the night again.

------- Why:

Again I raise the question:-- Why are we here?

What has been the point of leaving Antarctica in
March, refitting in Buenos Aires over the southern
winter, then undertaking the long haul north to
spend some time in the Amazon?

Why is part of our team off in the jungles of Venezuela.?

Technology gives us the ability to bring this, (and
other), parts of the world into homes and
offices and classrooms on an almost immediate basis--
through the Internet and our web site,
www.blakexpeditions.com

Photos that we send out each day -- either from
Seamaster or the Jungle Team-- are generally only a
few hours old-- be they photos of the river, the
wildlife, the plants, the trees, the scenery,
the people-- and so on.

If we are hot-- then you know it is now-- not last
week or last year.

If we are concerned, or have a problem, it is now.

We are reporting on what we find -- not glamorised--
just how it is.

So to be able to have as many "crew" with us is our
aim, people who may then have a better
appreciation of the reasonably remote parts of the
world that we visit. And even more
importantly, begin to understand the reasons why
we must all start appreciating what we have before
it is too late.

We could have come here by commercial plane-- stayed a
few weeks-- and left. But that wouldn't have
given us the essence of the Amazon.

To travel by Seamaster means we appreciate the
immensity of this water region-- and in turn have
a feeling for it unlike any other.

Exploring isn't about "getting there" as fast as
possible;-- it is about the logistics, the
planning, the research, the operation of our
vessel, the crew, the meals, our equipment, the
beauracracy surrounding taking all of us and
Seamaster where yachts rarely venture.

When we meet people, they also have a different
appreciation of what we are and why we are here.

The environmental messages that we from time to time
become quite energetic over, apply all over
the planet,-- not just the Amazon.

The quality of water and the quality of life in all
its infinite forms are critical parts of the
overall ongoing health of this planet of ours,--
not just here in the Amazon, --but everywhere.

With nearly 50% of all of the peoples of the world now
living in towns or cities, we wanted to begin
the process of bringing back the
appreciation of nature that may be missing from
many daily lives:-- wake / car-bus-train / office-
factory-school-supermarket / car-bus-train /
home / television / bed.

We want to restart people caring for the environment
as it must be cared for.

And at the same time we want to do this through
adventure, through participation, through
education and thru enjoyment.

The 2 X 1 hour television documentaries about our 3
months in Antarctica are now finished and about to
be shown in many countries. If you received our
Antarctic Logs, or have gone back in time on our
web site, we hope you will feel that you were also
part of it

. Right now our film crew is with other members of
blakexpeditions, descending from a mountain climb
in the Venezuelan jungle--this to form the
second part of our series on the Amazon-- part
adventure, part educational, part environmental,
but also fun.

We work closely with the United Nations Environment
Programme:-- their messages are our massages, but
formed and transmitted in our own way.

We work closely with Omega-- the Swiss timing company
who are instrumental to our being able to operate.
And the Omega people also firmly believe
in what we all want to achieve, even if
the top of the environmental awareness mountain
that we are endeavouring to climb is out of sight
through the clouds right now.

We have support from many companies and individuals--
we can never thank you enough. It is great to
know that you also care.

To win, you have to believe you can do it. You have to really "want" the result-- even if this
means years of work.

The hardest part of any big project is to begin.

We have begun-- we are underway-- we have a passion.

We want to make a difference.

We hope that you and as many of your friends as
possible will join us.

All the best from the blakexpeditions team onboard
Seamaster and in Venezuela.

Kind regards

Peter