La Mantena: Raft Across the Pacific

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Anatol
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Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

La Mantena: Raft Across the Pacific

Post by Anatol » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:47 pm

The journey in Part I of this adventure covers more than 500 miles, from Ecuador to Colombia. Upon arrival in Ecuador, the crew builds a replica of the original balsa log rafts that the Mantena were thought to have used. The 20-ton raft is made solely of balsa wood, bamboo, and hemp rope, and takes several months to build. Assisted by an entire fishing village celebrating their annual Balsa Festival, the raft is launched into the Pacific, and the sailors learn to navigate the awkward vessel. After 14 days of sailing, the logs become infested with shipworms, destroying the raft's buoyancy. It becomes a race against time to bring the raft to shore before it sinks. Unable to sail towards Panama, where the crew could find safe harbor, strong currents force the sinking raft towards the Darien Gap, a remote area of Colombia notorious as a hideaway for pirates and druglords. Fortunately, the adventurers are rescued by the Colombian Coast Guard and towed to safety. Discouraged by the condition of the raft and the arduous journey ahead of them, four of the six crew members 'abandon ship' and leave the expedition. Driven by his burning passion to fulfill this lifetime dream, Haslett refuses to give up, and together with the expedition cinematographer Tyler Young, they rebuild the raft in a quest to continue the journey.


In Part II, the raft journey continues undaunted by the setbacks. Two adventurous Colombians join the expedition to give the expedition a team of four. After rebuilding the raft, the crew sails from Colombia with their sights set on Hawaii. Just two days at sea, the raft and crew are hit by a relentless tropical storm. Despite the hard work of the crew to keep their vessel intact, the raft suffered serious damage from the high winds and rough seas.
Once repairs are made and the raft is back on course, the crew finds leisure time on the raft to rest and enjoy the surrounding beauty by swimming with turtles, dolphins, and even sharks. But their troubles are not over, as the crew discovers that they have been sucked into a 300-mile wide whirlpool, otherwise known as a "gyre", which would throw them off course indefinitely unless they manage to escape it. To make matters worse, the logs of the raft have once again become infested with shipworms and the raft begins to sink off the coast of Costa Rica. The team calls for an evacuation by the Coast Guard and they are towed to shore. Haslett refuses to give up his dream of crossing the Pacific and instructs the crew to successfully building a third balsa wood raft. After setting sail from Costa Rica, the expedition comes to tragic end when this raft is overtaken by yet another powerful tropical storm and destroyed on the rocky beaches just a few miles from their launching site. John and the entire crew decide that after almost an entire year in the field working to pursue a dream, they should cut their losses and head home.

Ecuador 1,00usd SG?
http://www.adventurevideos.com/store/p5details86.php
http://www.adventurevideos.com/store/p5details87.php -
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