1. Question: Why do they dry the logs before making the rafts?
The Kontiki raft I saw in the Norweigeian museum specifically
said that their first version sank because the logs were dry, so
on the second version they used fresh (i.e. still moist) logs,
and made sure they stayed moist while they made the raft.
2. Would it make sense to put like a "V" shape of logs up front
so that it cuts through the water and clears away any debris?
Haven't seen any Peru pictures like that, don't know if it's not
allowed.
3. The pictures on the blogs - wow, I didn't realize you would
be sitting more like IN the river if you don't have seats.
Dale's raft has nice wooden benches as seen in the picture of
Day two. I agree, let's each carry a roll of foam and pad our
seats, may make a world of difference.
-Lili
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Raft Design Questions - Lili
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Julie and Robyn meeting 26May
Here is a list of some of the stuff that Julie and I talked about last night.
Should we make a website? Would it be useful for keeping all our information together in one place? Will it be simple? -- YES. If everybody could sign up to be contributers and make blog posts instead of sending out reams of emails, it will probably be a lot easier to manage all the info and keep track of everything.
Patagonia stuff: Lori has asked us if we would like any Patagonia gear besides the team shirts. Let's leave this on an individual basis - if you want a hat, shorts, etc, please feel free to let me (Robyn) know when we're placing the shirt orders. Patagonia stuff is on sale at other stores (ex MEC) if you want to try things on first to see what size you need.
Julie will bring her paddle, a paddle for Martin, my paddle, and maybe Lili's paddle down together in her paddle bag. Lili, if you are the first to return to Canada, would you mind taking the paddle bag back with you so that we don't have to take the paddles to Machu Picchu??
Martin, please bring a raft paddle that we can use to steer with.
Taking our own PFDs will not be good for the PFDs, as they don't deal well with being squashed in backpacks for extended periods of time. I wrecked a Lotus PFD once doing that. So, bring your own if you like but we can rent crappy ones for the race that should be good enough.
Lili's question - will we be able to buy 48L of water in Iquitos? Hmm, good question. Martin and I can scope it out when we get there ahead of time and let Lili and Julie know if they should bring some from Lima. Julie will also bring her water filter so that we can filter tap water in Iquitos if we need to.
Team shirts: see separate post
Team name: see separate post
Raft design: see separate post
How are we going to store our gear during the race? Do we feel comfortable leaving our passports etc on the Mother Duck while we're racing or should we bring them on the raft? I'll send out some emails to try to find more info about this.
We should each bring mosquito netting to hang over our hammocks at night. We might also want to bring "sleep sheets" to sleep in (just a bed sheet sewn together) - individual preference.
Registration for the race is supposed to be opening in June. I'm leaving on the 17th for my bike trip, so if it hasn't opened before then, Julie will be in charge of registering us and pre-paying.
Should we make a website? Would it be useful for keeping all our information together in one place? Will it be simple? -- YES. If everybody could sign up to be contributers and make blog posts instead of sending out reams of emails, it will probably be a lot easier to manage all the info and keep track of everything.
Patagonia stuff: Lori has asked us if we would like any Patagonia gear besides the team shirts. Let's leave this on an individual basis - if you want a hat, shorts, etc, please feel free to let me (Robyn) know when we're placing the shirt orders. Patagonia stuff is on sale at other stores (ex MEC) if you want to try things on first to see what size you need.
Julie will bring her paddle, a paddle for Martin, my paddle, and maybe Lili's paddle down together in her paddle bag. Lili, if you are the first to return to Canada, would you mind taking the paddle bag back with you so that we don't have to take the paddles to Machu Picchu??
Martin, please bring a raft paddle that we can use to steer with.
Taking our own PFDs will not be good for the PFDs, as they don't deal well with being squashed in backpacks for extended periods of time. I wrecked a Lotus PFD once doing that. So, bring your own if you like but we can rent crappy ones for the race that should be good enough.
Lili's question - will we be able to buy 48L of water in Iquitos? Hmm, good question. Martin and I can scope it out when we get there ahead of time and let Lili and Julie know if they should bring some from Lima. Julie will also bring her water filter so that we can filter tap water in Iquitos if we need to.
Team shirts: see separate post
Team name: see separate post
Raft design: see separate post
How are we going to store our gear during the race? Do we feel comfortable leaving our passports etc on the Mother Duck while we're racing or should we bring them on the raft? I'll send out some emails to try to find more info about this.
We should each bring mosquito netting to hang over our hammocks at night. We might also want to bring "sleep sheets" to sleep in (just a bed sheet sewn together) - individual preference.
Registration for the race is supposed to be opening in June. I'm leaving on the 17th for my bike trip, so if it hasn't opened before then, Julie will be in charge of registering us and pre-paying.
Team Shirts
Just to try to speed up the process, Julie and I decided that most of us would probably want to get more than one shirt. We like the lemongrass and blue (perhaps the Neptune blue?). So, why don't we say that everyone get one lemongrass and one neptune blue capilene shirt in any sleeve length that they choose (sleeveless, t-shirt, or long-sleeved) and we will have them all silk-screened with our team name and logo? Plus anything else that you like, of course. If you only want to get one shirt, get the lemongrass one. Does that sound simple enough?
I've edited the blog colours to be as similar to the lemongrass/neptune blue as I could get so that we can get a feel for the colours.
The current plan for the shirt design is to have the 4 totems (beavers, eagles) on the front of the shirt with "Canada-Alemania-Mexico" written above of them.
On the back of the shirt will be "Amazon Challenge 2007" above a picture of a raft or hammock with a tarantula, snake, monkey, and piranha on it (subject to my artistic limitations). Underneath the picture will be "Gringos Locos - Git'n 'er done Peruvian style", or whatever we decide on as a team name.
Comments? Ideas?
I've edited the blog colours to be as similar to the lemongrass/neptune blue as I could get so that we can get a feel for the colours.
The current plan for the shirt design is to have the 4 totems (beavers, eagles) on the front of the shirt with "Canada-Alemania-Mexico" written above of them.
On the back of the shirt will be "Amazon Challenge 2007" above a picture of a raft or hammock with a tarantula, snake, monkey, and piranha on it (subject to my artistic limitations). Underneath the picture will be "Gringos Locos - Git'n 'er done Peruvian style", or whatever we decide on as a team name.
Comments? Ideas?
Raft Design
So, how do we want the raft set up?
Regulations are that it has to be made of 6 to 8 balsa logs, minimum 5m in length. Most of the raft for international crews are 6.5m long though, to give them enough buoyancy to hold our weight.
How are we going to seal the wood so that as little water as possible soaks into the logs? (they can get REALLY heavy) I'm going to email Dale to ask him what they did / saw. I think there's a method of charring them a bit over a fire. Calvin suggested taking 200lbs of chemical sealant with us... any volunteers? =P
How do we want to transport stuff on the raft? We will have things like sunscreen, cameras, water, snacks, spare paddle, and PDFs. One idea is to lash some kind of container (like a milk crate) to the middle of the raft, then attach things like sunscreen to the crate with a string long enough that anyone can grab it and use it, then toss it back in the crate. Or, we could put a bar across the middle of the raft, slightly raised, that things could be tied to/clipped to. Including the spare paddle, PFDs, and dry bags. Any other ideas? Is everybody cool with using a camel back to carry your own water, or will we need a way of securing water bottles?
I think the best way to do seating would be to simply lash a low bench to the raft and cover it with a foam pad (like a camping mat). Any other suggestions?
Lili, any other great ideas from when you saw the Contiki boat?
Regulations are that it has to be made of 6 to 8 balsa logs, minimum 5m in length. Most of the raft for international crews are 6.5m long though, to give them enough buoyancy to hold our weight.
How are we going to seal the wood so that as little water as possible soaks into the logs? (they can get REALLY heavy) I'm going to email Dale to ask him what they did / saw. I think there's a method of charring them a bit over a fire. Calvin suggested taking 200lbs of chemical sealant with us... any volunteers? =P
How do we want to transport stuff on the raft? We will have things like sunscreen, cameras, water, snacks, spare paddle, and PDFs. One idea is to lash some kind of container (like a milk crate) to the middle of the raft, then attach things like sunscreen to the crate with a string long enough that anyone can grab it and use it, then toss it back in the crate. Or, we could put a bar across the middle of the raft, slightly raised, that things could be tied to/clipped to. Including the spare paddle, PFDs, and dry bags. Any other ideas? Is everybody cool with using a camel back to carry your own water, or will we need a way of securing water bottles?
I think the best way to do seating would be to simply lash a low bench to the raft and cover it with a foam pad (like a camping mat). Any other suggestions?
Lili, any other great ideas from when you saw the Contiki boat?
Race Itinerary
Sept 18: reception and get-together
19th: 10 hour cruise up Amazon to Nauta
20th: collecting rafts and paddles, checking equipment and practicing
21st: race start en masse from beach. 43 miles to check point.
22nd: 45 miles to check point.
23rd: 42 miles to finish line. Yay!!
*Robyn and Martin will be flying to Lima on September 3rd or 4th and will work on the raft for about a week and a half, then meet Liliana and Julie in Iquitos whenever they plan to arrive.
Team Name
What does everybody think of the team name "Gringos Locos", with the slogan "Git'n 'er done Peruvian style"??
Liliana, I guess you're not technically a gringa, are you? Hmm. Well, let us know what y'all think of the name. If you don't like it, you can't just say that you don't like it - you have to come up with a better idea!! =P
Liliana, I guess you're not technically a gringa, are you? Hmm. Well, let us know what y'all think of the name. If you don't like it, you can't just say that you don't like it - you have to come up with a better idea!! =P
Gear list
Supplies
Race Paddles (Julie can bring all kialoa blades in her bag)
Raft steering blade (Martin)
Paddling Gloves
Dry Bags
Throw Bag (Martin can you bring this??)
Small Towel
Sunscreen
Sun glasses
Bug Spray – DEET
Energy Drinks, Electrolyte replacement
Power Bars
Hydration Systems
Duct Tape
Synthetic Underwear
Wide-brimmed hat
Laminated maps (Julie)
GPS (Robyn)
Cameras
Patagonia Team Shirts
Water filter (Julie)
First Aid Kit
Advil
Pepto Bismol tabs
Aloe Vera
Immodium
EnoVitamins
Blister Supplies, Bandages, Ointment
Each person’s list of allergies/health concerns & Emergency Contact Info
Polysporin ointment
instant ice packs (squish to activate)
info re. how to recognize and treat heat stroke
For Raft Construction:
sand paper
foam padding
sealant?
rope (there will be rope in Iquitos, unless we want to take "special" rope)
container/string (whatever we decide on for storing gear on board)
Everyone should have
- Immunizations - twinrix for Hepatitis, typhoid, tetanus, malaria pills, yellow fever
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