Martin has entered the delta region of the Amazon, and the team will be navigating him through a dangerous maze of narrow canals for the next few days until rejoining the big water near Breves.
The team is anchored at a missionary post along the Ituquara Canal, in an area known by locals as the Straights of Breves. As the Cassiquiari was securing her anchor rope in front of a settlement of small huts, their was a commotion on shore as the men of the village hurriedly went door to door, corralling up all the young women between the ages of 14 and 40, and shipped them off to an undisclosed location in a small boat. “This is the most dangerous channel on the entire Amazon,†Martin tells us.
We currently have men with machine guns posted on the front and back decks of the boat, scanning the surrounding water with spotlights. Martin marveled at our military presence at the end of the day as he tried to clean the mud out of his ears after swimming 68 km, “Hah, pirates can join us,†he invited, pointing at a husky man with an automatic weapon standing guard. Much of the crew, however, is currently in their rooms with the doors locked.