The Reed Race

Reed Boats Lake Titicaca

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The Reed Race

	Heroism

	Balsas

	Missing links

	Ocean Sailing with Balsa's

Ocean Sailing with Balsa's

Will Phil Buck outclass Blashford-Snell?

Phil Buck with his organisation Xplora International, built at Lake Titicaca in 1999 a reed boat with the name Viracocha. In Tiwanaku religion Viracocha or Creator God, is a man with a beard that created their society. Phil wishes to prove that reed boats sailed around the world for thousands and thousands of years. First from Chile to Eastern Island and from there to Australia. Than sailing the Red Sea, crossing the Mediterranean Sea and finally the Atlantic Ocean to Mexico. Well, why not.The 43 years old American adventurer started the 29th of February 2000 and arrived the 9th of April at Eastern Island. In 41 days he covered 3.500 nautical miles. "Than the Aymaran boat builders had to construct at Eastern island another balsa for the second leg to Cairns, Australia," told Maximo Catari living at Huatajata (lake Titicaca). Maximo, his son Erik and six other companions did the job and built the new balsa Rapa Nui.
Traditional
"The so-called tortora reed boats are built in a traditional way," Maximo Catari explains. "We use reed grown at the borders of Lake Titicaca mixed with reed from Eastern Island, wood and ropes. To be honest, nylon ropes instead of grass that people used before. That is a little bit more secure." And he is right. We watch at the borders of lake Titicaca how Maximo's colleagues Jose and Demitrio Limachi built a small reed boat. Pounding the reed bundles with stone hammers and pulling the ropes using tree roots, they form big cigars that will be connected later. We sailed oceans before and to be honest, the way they press reed in an art of flotation is not impressive.
Competition
Phil Buck is eager to arrive in Cairns or even the Red Sea before Colonel John Blashford-Snell with his Kota Mama lV. The heat is on, for sure. Especially now the third competitor the Spanjard Kitin Nunoz declared to leave for Japan from the Marqueses! Nunoz, by the way, accused Buck of cheating. He used laminated polyester in his Viraccocha design. Buck: "Nonsense. My balsa is as original as can be. I think that Nunoz is a little bit overheated. He is the only one who is heading for Japan and that is way out of any direction.

Comming soon: Wisdom or madness: underdog Kittin Nunoz takes the lead

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