The 11th Hour
14 Feb 12:44 pm by Nathan Welch Category: The Expedition
We finally arrived in Belem yesterday, the 12th February 2008, some 17 days after leaving Santarem. This final leg has been extremely challenging & we arrived totally exhausted & very happy to check in to our final waypoint before the Atlantic. We want to keep moving to the ultimate goal of Ponte Taipu on the Northern Brazilian coastline where it meets the Atlantic Ocean but first it is time for some housekeeping & organising logistics etc. for this final 150km.
With any big worthwhile goal, as you near its realisation & the ultimate prize, you will be tested one last time to ensure that you really want it. It has been my experience over the years that this is a very natural part of the process when you pursue your dreams & it is what I term ”the 11th hour phenomena”. As the dream ebbs oh so close to reality, you will be tested like never before – tested to ensure you really want this thing – tested to see what you’re made of. The 11th hour is a time of character – there will be those of us who will do what it takes & there will be those of us who will call it a day. Do we have what it takes? Well that remains to be seen, as we still have 150km of hard slog left. But I will share with you some of our experiences over the last 17 days & you can make your own mind up…
We ended up leaving Santarem early evening around 7.00pm, with dolphins playing & splashing all around us. There was an energy in the air, you could feel it, as if the river gods where preparing for our final run home. Sure enough around midnight a storm hit us with rain, headwind & crashing waves. We knew this was for us…
In the next few days we made good steady progress despite intermittent rain & storms along the way. The river became an enormous expanse of water, stretching to 10km wide from bank to bank. But often we could not even see the true bank thanks to the multitude of islands & channels that now broke up the river. A lot of the time we would paddle in a 7km expanse from either side. Again this meant that any moves we made had to begin sometimes ½ a day before the actual manoeuvre There were times, especially at night & early morning when the wind dropped, the river was still, & the stars were out that you felt it was just you on this tiny piece of water, just you with the twinkling sky – very peaceful moments. This was in stark contrast to those times when the wind was pumping & the swells created breakers, tossing you about like a little toy.
The dolphins were with us almost constantly, day & night in that first week after leaving Santarem. Then suddenly they disappeared – it seemed as if something was changing. And changing it was – the river began its spiral into the Delta. We had studied the maps for days & decided well in advance on our strategy for attacking the Southern side of the Delta region. We had quite a few must make moves in this area to ensure firstly that we entered the correct side of the Delta & then stayed in the flowing channels. A dead end channel that had flow feeding into it would have been disastrous for us to try & exit from in the raft. The first must make move was a success due to a series of profound events leading up to it. The night leading into it, I had just taken over from Mark on the oars when a storm hit – the proceeding 2 hours saw much rain & headwind. I was unable to see a foot in front of me & orientation was a matter of using the flag on the top of Skop Gat to get an idea of where the boat was heading. The headwind that night actually pushed us to the RHS bank which is where we wanted to be. As the rain cleared, I could see we were close to the RHS & seemingly set up nicely for the move. For the remaining 4 hrs of my shift I paddled hard – there was little or no flow so it was a matter of no paddle, no movement forward. So paddle I did. At the end of my shift I checked the GPS & marked us on the map as per usual. It was then that I realised to my horror that I had progressed 1km from when I had taken over from Marko. 6 hrs of hard out paddling & 1km – what the…? We discussed the situation & decided that Marko should paddle us over to the RH bank for the night & rest up rather than expanding 6hrs of fruitless paddling. The next morning it all became clear. In the light of day I could see that the storm had pushed us into an enormous recirculating eddy on river right. What had happened was that I was paddling against the eddy flowing back upstream for 2km where I would then hit this monstrous eddy line that would feed me back downstream for 2km just for the process to start again. So this back & forth process had me paddling for 6hrs with minimal results. Let’s just say that quite a few expletives were shared with the river that morning when I saw what had happened. Ahh the joys of paddling in stormy weather. However as the morning progressed it became quite apparent that this was no coincidence, it is in fact a profound event that helped us.
The move off to river right came later that morning. It was a huge ferry across 2 channels with a prevailing headwind making it very challenging. I actually had to walk us across a mud island at one stage to ensure we made forward momentum against the headwind. What sent a little shiver down the spine was the realisation that there is no way we could have successfully negotiated this move the night before, perhaps not even on a clear night – it was a definite day move! Spooky.
Onwards into the Delta we marched & it was spectacular. The river went through a dynamic change yet again. It was an amazing experience to be a part of this transformation & watch it all unravel in front of your eyes. A maze of narrow channels where the river had a real ‘tight’ feel, contrasting the huge expanse we had just deviated from. The flora changed markedly, becoming more tropical & dense. Even the house & village construction changed to the authentic jungle type dwellings that seem to really define Amazon living. The people suddenly became more friendly & you could feel a real sense of community & tightness. Generally there was a cool vibe to the place, almost quaint in a way & a real positive energy in the air.
Aesthetically, it has been the one of the most beautiful areas we have experienced on Expedition Amazonas & I suspect it will hold a very special place in our hearts forever. There were mornings where the mist & stillness created even a closer, tighter jungle feel – you could almost reach out & touch everything - there was no place you would rather be & paddling was an absolute pleasure. Some nights with the channel not 20m wide & the stars had come out to play you couldn’t help but slip into the river & float beside Skop Gat, gazing up at that sky & listening to the ear candy jungle sounds echoing all around.
We created quite a spectacle for the locals as we meandered down their neighbourhood canals. Often they would come up to chat & generally have a bit of a sticky beak at this strange craft & the 2 stranger occupants on board. I cannot recall a time when any villager through the Delta who saw us did not offer a wave or greeting of some sort. The whole area really lifted our spirits & it was a special time for the both of us. It was quite amazing the shift in mood & morale through this Delta section. The Amazon River Gods have given us something special, that we will take with us as beautiful memories – this first part of the Delta was special! But the River Gods still had some mighty challenges ahead, things were about to change again…
The first sign of yet another change came at the back end of the Delta. It was nearing a shift change around 12.00 midnight. I had a busy night, keeping clear of huge tankers & clowning around on a lighthouse beacon in the middle of one of the bigger canals after a few close calls. When the traffic cleared I ventured off again, but it wasn’t long before something wasn’t right. Forward progress became difficult & I increasingly had to pump hard to make any forward movement at all. Within ½ an hour despite me paddling flat out we were going backwards. I ferried from river left to river right searching for flow, searching for answers, especially after my last indiscretion getting caught in that recirculating eddy for 6hrs. But nothing – it was backwards we were a going! We discussed the situation & could only come up with one conclusion… tides. But tides? This far up the Delta? That would make it some tidal surge!
The next morning the river revealed its next big challenge …yep, it was tidal flow. Not quite 6hr flows this far back from the ocean but tidal nevertheless. We now had limited time to make progress in a 24hr period. Once we had worked out more or less when tides would change we would jump straight back on the oars. In this, the last portion of the Delta proper it certainly affected our momentum but we still were able to make reasonable forward progress. But that was all about to change.
On the 2nd February around 6.00pm we exited the Delta proper & found ourselves in a huge expanse of water called the Para River. The River was like a major highway – there were boats & huge ships all around. Tidal action was now more intense, happening on the regular 6 hr cycle. We now have only 12hrs in a day to make forward progress. It’s hard to believe but headwinds actually picked up in intensity & are with us pretty much non stop – occasionally we may get a small respite in the wee hours of the morning. And the icing on the cake is the river flow has all but disappeared for us – it is pretty much paddling on a huge lake for us. Skop Gat does not exactly disperse water for effective forward movement on flat water so from here on in – no paddle = no progress. With all of these factors now coming into play on this huge open expanse we are totally exposed to ALL of the elements.
Our strategy had to change to support this new environment we found ourselves in. Firstly we split our shifts into 3hr stints. Due to the changing tides we began island hopping on the Northern side the Para River (the Southern side of Marajo Island). At this stage we could not even see the real Southern side of Marajo Island due to the mass of islands that skirt its perimeter. One of the real problems for us was being caught in the middle of a move & the tide changing on us. We basically walked a tightrope every day to make the next island or next piece of land to ensure we did not go backwards. On a couple of occasions we were just short & the tide would bite us. It would then become a matter of damage control & we would do 30min power shifts to get us to the closest piece of terra firma. On one particular day we lost about 5km, after being caught out by the surging incoming tide. We did a lot of strategic planning – talking through the best options to make our next move forward. Our progress slumped to a staggering 10 – 20 km per day. A 20km day is a now superb day for us. There were even days when we could only travel a 7km distance.
This new environment continued to grow in ferocity with raging headwinds blowing us backwards. Whilst we may only paddle 12hrs in a day – strangely enough we have never worked harder. Our bodies have been put to the test over the last 10 days & physically we are feeling the bite! Connective tissue in the fingers & elbows are really feeling the pinch. Marko has the continual nagging of an old shoulder problem. My RH shoulder is really struggling at the moment & when I’m battling hard, I feel pain shoot all down through bicep, forearm into a tingling & numbing of the right hand. These plus all the other little physical niggles means our bodies are screaming at the moment. Hang in there bods, just 150km to go!
Battling those headwinds & storms has at times been an absolute nightmare. A good example that comes to mind was a huge storm that skirted us when I was on the oars. Whilst the rain missed us – the headwind did not. According to our Garmin GPS – the headwind pushed us back at 4km/hr. It was an awesome power to experience – there was nothing to do but dig in one oar & guide us to the bank with the other so we could tie off to stop our backwards momentum & then wait it out!
As we slowly surged forward into the Para, every day truly became an epic. I can’t recall one day where at the end of it there wasn’t some amazing story to record in the diary.
Too many to share for this post, which is already probably too long, but here are a few highlights:
- Repairing holes in the floor in the middle of the night whilst battling the incoming tide.
- It becoming ‘normal’ for us to get out of Skop Gat & haul her through knee deep mud or chest deep water at any time of the day or night – just to make a few km forward progress against the raging headwind. Just a little worried about the constant exposure to the Candiru – a small parasite that can swim up the urethra – Eish!
- The best laid plans & strategies thrown out the door due to Mother Nature’s mood on the day. We eventually reached the point where we just took each day on its merits & stopped in depth planning. There are just too many variables that come into play, & it is now a matter of trusting ourselves, each other & our abilities to deal with ANY situation.
- Listening to your mate outside swear & vent much frustration & anger at the river whilst on the oars – after yet more backwards momentum, or more hitting mud & the oars getting stuck, or a tree that your tied up to in the middle of the night pounding the canopy roof after the rising tide, or just another bloody raging headwind.
- Coming within a whisker of being hit by an enormous tanker in the middle of the night. And I do mean a whisker – I could actually see the enormous bow of the ship bearing down on us. The only thing that saved us was the wake or water dispersing from that bow. It created a cushion wave like effect that just pushed us away at the last minute. This coupled with a series of frantic, desperate paddle strokes to the right saw us just graze past. My angry shouts were simply met by my own echo off the side of this monster. Close, close, close!
- Tying up to posts that the local fisherman use for their traps to protect us from being hammered into the side proper by the incoming tide. Then late at night finding ourselves floating upstream & loosing ground – huh? The post was still attached to the raft rope but we were floating. It seems the ebb & flow of the raft was enough to slowly work the post free even after being about 4-5 foot in the mud.
- Tying up to a tree early as the tide turned only to have it sink the back end of the boat because of an enormously high tide that night. So spending the early hours of the morning diving underwater to free the no knot friction & release the raft & us from the drowning position.
- Late at night we where approached by local fishermen who were a bit suss on us mooring up so close to their fishing area. We thought they were pirates so armed ourselves with our Benchmade knives & a machete. We were tired, cranky & to be honest we were ready for action. In the end, after a bit of a chat & giggle & they understood what we were doing, everything was sweet.
- Watching Buffalo do what we have affectionately named the “the Penguin”. It was a stinking hot day & we had missed our goal of Ponte Severino by about 2km before the incoming tide stopped us. We were determined to get there so we almost crawled, dragging the boat through mud that was over our knees for 2 hrs. If I wasn’t so stuffed at the time I think I may have peed myself with laughter. I turn back to see Buff sliding on his tummy through the mud. Because the big fella is a lot heavier than I am, he actually couldn’t walk at all in the sloppy mud, nor could he put too much weight on his hands. The solution was ‘the Penguin’ where he slithered his way to Ponte Severino.
- 2 EPIC river crossings that took us from river left (the Marajo Island) to the Brazilian Mainland on river right. Each crossing was a 7km ferry. A ferry that had to be made amidst storms & headwinds pounding us, huge swells & before the tide changed. Failure to reach terra firma meant that we could potentially lose 20km that day on the incoming tide. But perhaps what made these 2 successful crossings such a monumental achievement for us was they were done with our bodies screaming & after a week of sustained tests & challenges.
- Spending amazing time in local villages between tide changes has been one of our blessings. The people have been amazing. Again very friendly, genuine & giving. Through all the big challenges, frustrations & pain of recent times, the local Brazilians have somehow taken the edge off things for us. After departing we feel rejuvenated & alive just from the experience. Despite the language barrier, we chatted, laughed, played, cooked & gained a real appreciation for these people who have so little but offer so much.
- A freakish meeting with an Aussie bloke called Geoff just outside a small village called Albras. We were cooking up some lunch & playing with the local kids on a beautiful little beach when a Mexican lady (Hoty) rocked up & started chatting to us in English. It turned out that her husband worked with an Aussie guy from Perth. The next minute she pulled out a mobile phone, called Geoff & without any introduction handed the phone to Marko to talk. Hilarious – watching Marko try & talk his way out of this one - needless to say that Greg was astounded. He was so mystified that he took the afternoon off & ventured down to meet us with his lovely partner Patcha. We spent an intriguing 45 minutes exchanging stories before we had to cruise back onto the river. Amazing really… another special moment!
- Standing in knee deep mud stranded by the outgoing tide just 5m from a deep water canal late in the evening. There was only one thing to do as we waited for the incoming tide - call the family on the BGAN to let them know we were OK & make a cup of tea. So here we are in this smelly sloppy mud, sipping high tea, chatting on the sat phone whilst passing ships & boats blasted us with their spotlights, totally bemused by what they saw. Funny times!
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We know you can too!! You two are absolutely amazing and we totally admire you. There will be nothing, absolutely nothing, after this that you won’t be able to do. Your strength of willpower and body have been thoroughly tested and you’ve come through. Of course you’ll make the end………..wish we could be there to cheer you but believe me when I say we are all cheering you on from over here and you have our utmost admiration and prayers.
Our love and thoughts are with you all the way boys.
Donna, Barry, Matt, Anna and Sammy xxxxoooo
Comment by Donna Kalch — February 14, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
Nat,& Mark ( Phil Spirit)a powerful post lost for words at the moment . Bill
Comment by Bill Welch — February 14, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Buff and Welchy
We have been tracking your progress right from the start all those 147 days ago. Loved reading each story and seeing you both in the photos and videos. I don’t think I’ve seen Nathan smiling bigger and brighter than this before and Buff, thats got to be the 2nd best beard I have seen, (shame its not red though!). Donna and I are expecting our third child around the same time as when you are expecting to reach your goal so I am preparing for a double celerbration. Look after yourselves and each other.
Bob, Donna, Amber and Luke
Comment by Bob — February 14, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
Awesome effort playin cat and mouse with the tides is a great challenge with a couple of oars… When some can barely manage with an outboard. Keep up the strong consistent effort.
Super 14 kick off this weekend hopefully the Reds will have a good season its the first time since 2003 they’ve had no injuries in their squad… and Wayne Bennent has announced his retirement from the Broncos at the end of 08…
It’s strangely funny how the headwinds were pushing you around the mighty pioneer in sept ‘07 now nearing the end they’ve come around again … All de best for the next 150k’s.
Comment by willow — February 14, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
again i will say it. you both are an inspiration to this little fella. be strong and be well and enjoy your final battles with the river.
Comment by JAcko — February 14, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
So good to see your smiling faces
keep those heads down and find songs to sing - i remember a crazy aussie once telling me to SING! into the headwinds….
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!!!
love lexy xxxx
Comment by Lexy — February 14, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
Nat & Mark ( Phils Spirit)we share the comments already made that your strong determination will ensure you finish this journey regardless of what final hurdles this amazing river places in front of you.
This team is about to claim victory but dont relax until the final quater is played out.
There is an atmosphere of expectation and excitement as you approch the finishing line.
We all wish we were there to share the special moment with you but rest assured we shall all be cheering .
Dont forget to take a special treat with you to celebrate this very special occassion.
Maybe a bottle of beer for Mark and a mintie or marrs bar for Nat.
He! He! Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho!
Boys we know we are repeating outselves but you are at the stage of your journey where its time to reflect on your amazing achievements , its time to enjoy and savor the moment,more importantly its time to appreciate the efforts of each other and what this special team has achieved.
Not many people get the opportunity to share a life changing experience , with mates.
The experience,the friendship, you will tresure in your heart for life.
Team we are all proud of you ,we all miss you ,we look forward to the last successful post.
Stay safe ,stay vigilant , be successful and God Bless.
Love Bill & Toni
Comment by Bill Welch — February 14, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
I’m tired of saying well done so i’l say ‘i wish i was there’.
I had my 1st post Amazonas paddle on rio orange and about to start a new job (finally).
So all the best, take care, paddle hard, Godspeed and skop gat!
Comment by Phils spirit — February 15, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
From a flooding Mackay (the worst in 50 years), we hope that things get a bit easier for you on this last leg. The tanker incident a bit hairy no?!!!!!! That reminded me a bit of the scene from the Tom Hanks movie Castaway - where he was on his little raft and came very close to all the shipping traffic.
I bet the heart was pumping a bit hey? I can sympathize with your muscle soreness - I had my first dance lesson on Tuesday - Ohhhh!! my burning quads - I feel your pain fellas - I feel your pain! Keep paddling strong and do whatever you need to do to finish this thing. Cheers
Madonna, Chris and Tahlie
Comment by MadMadonna — February 15, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
love the photos of the kids faces - they are gorgeous!
bout to get ready to head off for the Valentine’s night run….so suspect my limbs will be screaming back at yours for a lot less reason, but eh?
hope you guys are managing to rest up, eat well, finding mars bars and frosted glasses with cerveja somewhere….
Bom fim de semana!
Lexy x
Comment by Lexy — February 16, 2008 @ 12:47 am
Just watched your Laundry Day video and I think your mother would at ease now.
We now just have to take you to the doctors to get your skin checked out for cancer.
Just because your near the end, it doesn’t mean you can get lazy with the SLIP SLOP SLAP.
We’re just thinking of your health.
See you soon.
BTW, we’re married now
Comment by Kirri & Pat — February 19, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
G’Day to our intrepid adventures. As you have found
at the 11 hour the guard can slip a little & doubt does creep in.Those dolphins would have been magical,
&a loss when they left. I can imagine the difficulty of threading through those islands & channels. Good to
hear you both can let off steam when the river gives you a hard time. May not help progress,but i’m sure it
helped ease the tention of the moment.
The transformation of the Delta sounds like an amazing
spectial. Again here is something us mortals at home
may never see or experience its splender. The River Gods again have recognised your determination and
doggedness & rewarded your efforts with friendly happy
people ready to greet & assist where they can. This
has also given you both more & more splended memories
to store up and heart wrenching hardships to see if you can cut the mustard. ‘THAT 11th.hour’
Well Wizman all our love to you both, remember you
both are in our prayers always.
Grandma, Margy & Grumblebum
Comment by Grumblebum — February 20, 2008 @ 7:13 pm