July 6, 2001
Villa Bella


We have got past the infamous Esperanza cataract that cuts off direct navigation between Bolivia and Brazil, and are overjoyed at our achievement. This tumultuous cataract has claimed many victims, including Maneilla Suarez, wife of the Rubber Baron, Nicolas Suaraz who along with 11 assistants perished in 1893.

At 1.00 pm on 5 July, KM3 nosed her way into the current that led to the foaming waves. Onboard was a crew of 14 men and 1 woman (Dr Jo Brown) under the command of Capt Matt Wilkinson RE, with the Kota Mama "Admiral", Capt Jim Masters also aboard. Crowds on the riverbank looked on in fear as the great craft ploughed towards a 20-foot waterfall. However, the helmsmen's course was correct and with the crew's valiant efforts, KM3 hit the tongue of the cataract at exactly the right point. With water crashing over her, the trimaran struck the first "hydraulic jump" or "stopper" with a crash. KM3's triple jaguar heads were raised in protest as the reed boat pushed her way through. For a few terrifying minutes the huge boat slammed against the raging waters but the crew paddled furiously and pushed through the cataract and out into calm water.

"We were all apprehensive," said Col John Blashford-Snell "but the crew and the boat performed magnificently". Brazilian and Bolivian naval officers supporting the operation are now considering using similar craft to apprehend drug smugglers on the river. The fleet stopped at Villa Bella on the Brazilian frontier for a well-deserved rest. However, with a further 18 cataracts still ahead our challenges are not yet over.