Surrey Border Film & Video Makers

I recently made a trip to southern Brazil. My Rotary district has been successful in obtaining an RI 3H grant, (Water, Health & Hunger, Literacy) to clean up the river basin of the Gravatai river. The local favella or slum dwellers use the river as a rubbish dump and a toilet. There are also industrial polluters along the river, and in the summer the rice growers take too much water out leading to a big stink and dead fish. Rotary is providing a project manager and assistant, an arbora-cultural officer to deal with planting 20,000 trees to stabilise the river banks and boats for the brigada (military police) to control water intake.

I went out there to film the situation before the project kicks in. The first two days filming went just fine. On the third day we visited a water treatment plant and then we went with the environment people to see a 200 year old tree, the symbol of Brazil, and an old house now a museum from 1880. After that we went in flat bottomed boats up the river Gravatai and saw the rice growers canal and stopped to see where the dam to regulate water flow was going to be built. We went a little further in the boat and stopped again to plant a tree which I have named Sanders of the River.

We got back in the boat. There was Dennis the Chairman, a City Hall guy, a translator and the pilot . The pilot opened up the 

outboard and we were going fast back towards our entry point. The second boat ahead had long since disappeared. Suddenly the boat tipped to the right, to the left, to the right even further then to the left and capsized. My left hand had hold of the pro HD video camera which because we were going so fast was yanked from my hand and my left arm twisted back violently. The next thing I knew was bubble noises round my head, no life jacket as it had come off, and the sun shining through the water above. Upon arrival at the surface, Task one was to rescue the lifejacket under my chest. Task 2 was everybody else ok? They all appeared to be alive and floating. Dennis the Chairman was floating on his back. He was, I found out afterwards, regaining his breath after the boat had come down on his back. I swam towards my camera bag with all the accessories and the tape from the day before floating some feet away. You try swimming fully clothed and with your shoes on!

After what seemed like an age I got to the bank and climbed out. Dennis had gone into the field behind to get his breath back. It was a good job the previous day’s translator wasn’t helping us as he couldn’t swim! Time was marching on and the sun was getting lower. No-one came to rescue us.

Looking at the situation in front of us, the boat was upside down and the pilot now had hold of the

rope attached to its front. The City Hall man had two nasty scrapes down the insides of his legs and he found it difficult to walk. I got back in the river and we managed to get the boat upright. We got to the stage where I couldn’t get the back end of the boat up far enough because of the water inside and the weight of the outboard motor. Having tied it off to rethink the next move the other boat returned and rescued us. Our host Luiz Borba was shaking his head in disgust at what had happened. Later he told us that the first boat had returned to the slipway and it was put on the trailer. When we still didn’t turn up, all the mobiles were tried, but of course they were full of water. Luiz then said get that bl.....y boat back in the water and go and look for them.

When we were riding home we were told, "Oh by the way, there were alligators in that river" hey thanks! The left arm being very painful was X-Rayed but luckily no break. The City hall man had to go to hospital to have his legs treated. On return home my legs turned purple with a rash, but I am pleased to say that has now cleared up although the left arm still can’t hold a pint of beer - but I am right handed. I am now getting stuff replaced on insurances.

They have told me that when I go back to see the project completed in 3 years time NO BOATS!