Plan your Amazon River Cruise

[coopec43]

Have you seen this? (You can drag both maps around)

I knew the river is navigable for ships up to Manaus: but beyond?

https://www.marinevesseltraffic.com/...raffic-tracker

[landsend]

Might want to delay this cruise until covid eases up. Otherwise a pretty spectacular trip/experience.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by landsend

Might want to delay this cruise until covid eases up. Otherwise a pretty spectacular trip/experience.

OMG! I see what you mean.

A City in Brazil’s Amazon Rain Forest Is a Stark Warning about COVID to the Rest of the World

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...-of-the-world/

[El Pinguino]

Peru maintains part of its navy on the Amazon at Iquitos with some quite largish ships based there.
The Peruvian bit of the river can be seen at and around the leper colony scenes in 'Motorcycle Diaries'.
Leprosy would be the least of your worries just now...

[coopec43]

I first became interested in Manaus (a city on the Amazon) when I read a book about 3 French guys who sailed the world in a home built yacht (Damien)


Damien at anchor in the Amazon

The journey - Gérard Janichon - Damien | Gérard Janichon - Damien

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR2gwVe-QR8

https://www.google.com/search?q=The+...c3MAEEQ4dUDCAw

[Sand crab]

A quick search found that vessels with 18' draft can make it as far as Iquitas, 3600 km which is more than twice as far as Manaus, 1500 km.

https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wiki...azon_River.htm


Fun fact: Despite being 900 miles inland Manaus is only 144' above sea level.

[sasirles]

Be aware of the Piranhas in the Amazon.

[WhiteHill]

Be aware:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Blake_(sailor)

[Franziska]

Hi, just remembered this old thread:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...zon-25350.html
Apart from that I remember that Pat Patterson had a close encounter with the Amazon tidal wave when cruising it with his Heavenly Twin catamaran.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pororoca

Oh and make sure to watch the fabulous film Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog starring the somewhat crazy Klaus Kinski, before going there.

[Franziska]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_...29?wprov=sfla1

Originally Posted by WhiteHill

Be aware:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Blake_(sailor)

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Fun fact: Despite being 900 miles inland Manaus is only 144' above sea level.

I can beat that!

The total length of the Grand Canal is 1,776 km (1,104 mi). Its greatest height is reached in the mountains of Shandong, at a summit of 42 m (138 ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_(China)

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I can beat that!

The total length of the Grand Canal is 1,776 km (1,104 mi). Its greatest height is reached in the mountains of Shandong, at a summit of 42 m (138 ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_(China)

The Grand Canal in China was a remarkable achievement for its time. Built by the same emperor who built the first version of the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warrior tomb. His actual tomb is a short distance away. They have only sent probes into it and found that basins of mercury were present. The entire environment is terribly poisonous. Not aware of any plans to open it. The TCWs are incredible, the tomb must be even more amazing.

Back to the topic at hand, when we were sailing from Ascension Island towards the Caribbean we had a failure of the lower mast tang that held our lower shrouds. It just let go with a huge bang and a shock through the hull that felt like we hit something. We were about 300 miles from the mouth of the Amazon - the nearest point of land. We thought about going there to find a machine shop but it looked like Manaus was the likely place to go but it was just too far inland. We jury-rigged mast support (it was the port side which was odd since we had been on starboard tack for hundreds of miles), although this had been the windward side across the Indian Ocean. Ended up sailing to Grenada without incident to get the repair done. In a way I wish we had gone up the river.

[Hudson Force]

Sand Crab is correct. I've seen ships on the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru; however, the navigation is seasonal with steps on the banks rising about fifty feet from low water.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

Sand Crab is correct. I've seen ships on the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru; however, the navigation is seasonal with steps on the banks rising about fifty feet from low water.

Just read:


Location: Lived aboard & cruised for 45 years,- now on a chair in my walk-in closet.
Boat: Morgan OI 413 1973 - Aythya

What a life! You didn't have to spend hours daily traveling to and from the office for soul destroying work.

I envy people like Eric and Susan Hiscock et al who paid their way writing books and having slide shows of their travels.

These days young people don't have to sail because they can watch others doing it on Patreon

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by coopec43

.......
........ What a life! You didn't have to spend hours daily traveling to and from the office for soul destroying work. ............

I need to clarify that I did work 190 days each year for the first 30 of those 45 years. Also, I did not cruise my boat to the Amazon. I flew to Iquitos from Lima, Peru and explored on hired tour boats. I had years of slow gunkholing from Maine to the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico, but not ocean passage cruising. ....but, yes, wonderful times!