Last leg of Amphibear journey

Martin from Scan Shipping notified me on Monday, I can pick up my car at 29 April from Muuga port in Estonia. At port it took some time for entrance and wasted time for waiting in wrong place. In right place we took pictures of sealed door and opened the container. There she is, Amphibear without pontoons, but with all the rest of equipment.

Started happily to release Amphibear from his sea voyage prison. After half an hour jumping on the lever was not so happy any more. Strong fastening!

Front was easier, just to get there was tight. So we towed the released Amphibear out of container.  Opened up the car and all boxes and called for coastguard. Soon patrol came, checked only the body number and said, as registered in Estonia it needed no control at all. Just to drive out of port territory their control paper is helpful.

For last Amphibear journey drive from port to home some more preparations were needed. As surprise both car key batteries had lost their power. So, we started our drive like alarm vehicle, but soon system recognized the key. All the rest worked as before and twenty kilometers to home were uneventful. Now Amphibear is at home and I start with cleaning, repairing and storing all equipment.

Amphibear drove on its own from Tallinn to Cabo Verde islands with Gibraltar crossing and Atlantic crossing from Senegal to Cabo Verde on the way. Then after few hundred kilometers in Atlantic pontoons were broken, Amphibear was rescued by Geoholm and shipped to Rio De Janeiro. In hope for new pontoons Amphibear traveled little more in South America, up to Lima. This was remarkable journey. It was possible because of help of so many people.

You were always with me in you thoughts. Thank you!

SincerelyYours,
Mait Nilson.

TOP 10: Equipment

We all need travel equipment from time to time and it's good to know what works. The following is my top 10 of useful pieces of equipment as proven by actual travels on land and by sea. The order is, of course, relative and depends on the nature of the trip. For example, satellite communicators won't be necessary when you are in an area with cell phone coverage. Likewise, the usefulness of every other item noted here depends directly on the nature of the trip.

DeLorme inReach SE Satellite Communicator
This has been unbelievably reliable and useful so far. It is also possible to order it online if not found in Estonian stores. Cheaper than you'd expect. A bit time-consuming for independent use but really seamless when paired with a phone. Allows positioning and the option save the lost Amphibear by exchanging text messages. I was able to test its water resistance when I fell in the water with a case in my hands and the DeLorme in my pocket. It passed this test successfully. DeLorme's website allows for continuous exporting of location information and therefore Metrotec has connected its tracking device information with DeLorme's information. It is possible to buy rescue insurance when signing the contract, so the owner of the device can be rescued anywhere around the world within 72 hours in case there's any serious trouble.

Led Lenser SEO 7 R Headlamp
A useful tool in case of an unexpected breakdown but also just a good companion for nighttime activities. A lot of other headlamps would actually do the trick, too. I really like that fact that it can be charged with a mobile phone charger. I couldn't ask for more if it were also waterproof. Despite not being waterproof, it did survive being used every night on the sea. Convenient to use, emits even light and doesn’t feel heavy while worn on the head.

Aclima merino wool underwear
It is true that it can be worn for two weeks without beginning to smell. To be perfectly honest, it smells a bit like untreated wool even when new, and when worn unwashed, the smell gets a bit stronger. But it’s a pleasant smell. The underwear kept my body nice and warm when the weather was cold and when it was hot, it breathed instead of soaking through like cotton shirts do.

GoPro Hero Black and FineVu HD 500 cameras
Although I haven't really had the chance to upload any videos so far, there wouldn't be too many of them without these two devices. No matter the conditions, you turn them on and you get a sharp and well-lit video. The FineVu dash camera with its continuous recording allows the moments when you forgot to turn something on to be documented. Good recording quality, again.

Keen sandals
They have experienced seawater, damp conditions, sand and mountains. I wore sandals almost daily for four months. No signs of wear and tear or falling apart so far. They dry quickly. Comfortable even when walking for long periods of time. Not meant for sitting still for long. Good for active use.

Sony Xperia Z mobile phone
I chose this phone because of its water resistance, good performance and big screen. The performance and big screen are needed for navigation software. It was essentially the only navigation device in use on land and in water it had a navigation application that duplicated Amphibear's plotter. The phone is surprisingly durable. This, too, was in my pocket when I fell in the sea, and it was water resistant enough for a situation like that. It has slipped from my hand a couple of times and fell on the ground but luckily hasn't broken so far. I certainly would recommend it for water-related trips.

Dromedary 10l water bag
Simple and straightforward – holds 10 litres of water. It is also worth noting that the water doesn't take on any aftertaste even when kept in the bag for a long time in hot weather conditions. Doesn't taste like plastic or anything similar as might easily happen with other bags. It's easy to carry, fill, and empty. It's pretty strong and can withstand being stepped on or dropped. We discovered only halfway through the trip that the bag is just the right size to be used as an air pillow. So, if not needed for holding water, it can be used as a pillow instead. Of course, it feels nicer on the cheek, if you pull a shirt over it before making use of it as a pillow.

SealLine Baja Bag 30l dry bag
At the beginning of the trip, the dry bags were not in use and packed in some other bags instead. However, starting from Cape Verde they were used more often. If you need a bag where you can quickly store your essential things to take with you to the hotel, a bag you can use for support when swimming from the boat to the shore all while keeping the equipment and clothes from getting wet, and use as a carry-on item on the plane and is sure to fit in the overhead luggage compartment, then this is the right choice. This bag has been used for all that. And when somebody asks you in Cape Verde where you got this really cool bag, then in that case its appearance won't put you to shame, either. I don't think I would be taking this bag on my future business trips, but now and again it might have a place at the bottom of another bag. You never know when you're going to need something water resistant again.

Basic all-in-one kits
Quite often seemingly useless home toolkits were all used surprisingly frequently in the car. For example, a screwdriver kit that dated back to the Soviet times and hadn't been used since was used as a chisel, lever, and for screws, of course. A Leatherman knife was always in the door pocket of the car and when the primary equipment was inaccessible, the knife's several functions became the primary equipment. A hiking axe with an iron handle worked perfectly as an axe, hammer, and lever. Multifunctionality has its place while traveling and this is where the convenience of carrying and purpose of the tool come to play. In the end, only the products that were durable in all possible situations left a positive impression.

Moving straps, cable clips, tapes and glues
No matter how many of these you take, you'll always fall short of them on a specialised trip. I used Hydroscand's rather strong moving straps and at any given moment around a couple dozen were simultaneously in use. They were used to secure the equipment, to perform unavoidable repairs, and for a makeshift securement of the mattress (to prevent it from falling off the boxes). Cable clips and tape were indispensable when it came to unavoidable repairs. Henkel's self-amalgamating tape, which doesn't leave a layer of adhesive but forms a water-resistant and rather uniform cover, is especially good. It's a bit difficult to use in confined spaces but that's the only drawback. I also had several Henkel glues. Plastic adhesives and two-component metal and plastic-filled adhesive sticks were used most often. The only complaint would be that quite often the glues aren't packaged for light traveling.

Of course, there was a lot more equipment. Equipment that was not listed here worked fine, too. That's to be expected on a trip like this: the equipment was mostly by name brands and designed for these kinds of trips. The Top 10 was compiled of products that were of help in a critical situation or worked surprisingly well during the trip.

Translated by Luisa Translation Agency

Seaman transformation

I decided to transport car to Europe without pontoons. Transport with pontoons was several times more expensive. As pontoons are broken, then no use of old pontoons anyhow. Closest big port for sea transport is Lima, capital of Peru.

Arrived at Lima late evening and looked for place to park car safely and spend a night. Navigation system proposed interesting campsite inside town - Lima Club Germania. At arrival, gate closed. Guards do not speak English. "No, I do not have invitation. No, they do not have campsite. Difficult to recommend hotel with parking for car of that size." Finally one of the passing quests spoke English, and soon everything arranged. Car safely at parking slot of their stadium, next to couple from France with their Jeep. Toilet and showers nearby, what else to wish.

Next morning started my search for 10x6m safe place to disassemble pontoons. Letters sent, FB posted got several replies soon. Tarmo Haud from Estonia had friend in Japan with friend in Firewheels worksop in Lima. Got letter from Ciacomo ja Santiago Podesta from Firewheels.

Wanted to pay for hosting services next morning at Club Germania. Administrator looked at me with surprise, "No, you have not to pay anything" Unbelievable hospitality! I hoped this is good sign for my Lima time.

Firewheel had huge workshop. Filled with clients car partly above each other. No place for Amphibear. Discussed with Santiago, and he proposed immediately another place out of town. Followed his bigger Toyota Land Cruiser with my Amphibear, Prado version and 40 km from Lima to my surprise we reached his mansion. Very nice one! Nice place to dismantle pontoons also.

Pontoons on ground the work begins

Firewheels lended me one pair more of helping hands. As Santiago made his hands with Amphibear dirty also, it all went quickly first day. We disconnected most of mechanical systems by the evening, also part of hydraulics disconnected.

Pontoon now free of most connections with three pair of hands. Santiago Podesta on the right.

Second day worked alone. Sad, sad! So far cancellation was just decision. Here it became the finite reality. To the evening of second day car was separated from pontoons and full of stuff.

Amphibear still there, but not functional any more.

Under driver side front leg discovered unexpected damage. Instead of crack there was real hole in pontoon.

If nothing fits, then it is just matter of next effort to fit it all. 

Next morning at Firewheels.

Flying Amphibear

Initially we planned to avoid expensive dock service and launch Amphibear to Rio bay. I prepared Amphibear for water again, empty pontoons from water, remove not needed ropes, temporary repair of borkon drive and cleaning the mess I left into car. Soon we discovered the disadvantages of the plan, like special permission needed for lifting Amphibear into water or needed tow plan with 10 days of notice and approval time. In the middle of the week ship management decided to go to portside and lift car to land. For me relief, as sailing with broken pontoons in bay did not seem easy task, especially as car keys still in customs in equipment boxes.

Ship we reached with water taxi. I got a lot of help from ship manager Gustavo Magalhaes. He mostly found possibility to join my travel by expensive water taxi with some other specialists travel to ship.

Went to Geoholm to prepare my vehicle for land. Big crane of Geoholm lifted the car off the ground. Wanted to raise pontoons, but no way. Half empty battery and salty joints resisted my attempts. So we moved lifting points further away from car and so with car weight got pontoons moving again. And when half way up the reason became more obvious. Not matter my pumping, still plenty of water in pontoons, which now cascaded out of cracks. 

Amphibear again in road position. In backround big crane of Geoholm. Water cascaded out of pontoons when turned upside down.

This resolved the mysterious behaviour of driver side pontoon also. I suspected puncture at the rear end. In reality whole structure under internal support was cracked and leaking. Both pontoons are cracked on main structure. As also questioned experts defined "You can repair pontoons, but not for Ocean any more. Only smaller inland waters."

This means two things are needed. Temporary repair to pontoons to continue journey in South America and new pontoons to cross Caribbean sea and continue around the world journey. There are no new pontoons on our travel budget. Before asking for more support, I have to know the cost of seriously modified pontoons with strenght for ocean crossings. Factory prepares their offer. Looking forward.

At darkness, 22:00 I got on shore again. Next day at ship situation was still not clear, do we have permission to lift the Amphibear on dock. Captain was sure, we will lift today.

It is not easy task to prepare big ship for working in Brazilian waters. Even signs, "Do not pollute sea and throw garbage overboard" I saw were replaced with "Do not dispose solid waste into water. It is prohibited by laws of Brasilia. Underwater side of iceberg was replacement of all safety gear, even garbage cans, filters, working clothing etc. had to be replaced and dozen of inspections passed. Courageous, decisive, and open minded - his decision and strenuousness were critical factors for finding Amphibear. Safety clothing must even captain Reinold Lederle wear at ship deck.

So I attached the pontoons above the car and we planned the lifting with Geoholm technical team. Geoholm went to dockside at 19:30. First lifting had to be done by car-crane ordered to port, but finally as it was on the reach limit, Geoholm crane did final lift to waiting trailer. And trailer went to not known location to me, out of city.

Two times Amphibear had flyed under the crane of Geoholm. This time was final flight to land.

Not known location became known next day when Port Logistics brought us to the car. About 40 km from city, but otherwise ideal location. Car is in garage of Marfan Logistica. Ideal place to take some so needed repair. Company owner Marcelo personally appointed the place, there are all needed tools and around dozen of car repair, spare parts or metal works companies. Toyota specialist and aluminium welding specialist promised to come and see the car for repair estimate.

It is time to make some conclusions, what works and what not on Amphibear. First the systems that worked fine during our land journey and more than 1000 km on Ocean.

• Frame, proportions and general layout worked well. Now overlooked by some captains and chief engineers it is confirmed, little small but otherwise well done.
• Car has lasted problem free. Engine run, frame held on. As  expected brake drums are rusty and some sensors stopped working under the car, these are minor issues.
• Hydraulics works foolproof. Small topic was one nut getting loose but compared to system size it is not topic. I was happy to see, that one side drive separation worked well also, when it was needed. Instead of chain for driving hydraulic pump some less service demanding solution would be welcomed, but chain runs also.
• Winches worked, as they got some modification for waterproofness, there were no issues even after ocean. Some fluid pumps striked, but it was only blown fuse. Broken was low pressure air pump for pontoons. It should be duplicated by the X-Jack solution - to be filled directly from car exhaust. All pump connections I have to make external and unify, to make different operation quicker and simpler.
• Purchased and donated equipment worked well. It is not surprise, that Matkasport, Cascade Design items are lasting and comfortable. It is surprise to me, that all electronics from Tehnoturg and other lasted also, not matter the salty fingers. Toolbox items are also qood quality.  
• Must be admitted that car was saved by inflatable pontoons, special order from Polymersvarka in Estonia. Without these the car would have been capsized. Good work.

Did not work

• Aluminium pontoons. Factory conformation before journey was mistaken and my own judgement also. As we tested pontoons for cracks just before start they were initially ok, just did not last the ocean. There are needed new ones and not only new, but a lot different. To describe this all takes another blogpost, but in short more strenght and different drive attachment are main topics. Factory installed inspection and pumping tubes to sections are needed also for quick operation on sea. To avoid misjudgement again, some experts will examine the pontoon project before production. 

Cracks were evolving on ocean already. Lifting just exposed these more clearly.

Breaking drive plates were just beginning of the problems. Aluminium is good material but does not stand repeated bending. Construction has to be strong enaugh to avoit it. 

These bents are result of salvage lifting. Inevitable in ocean waves.

If new sponsors found and donations received then new pontoons can be ordered and journey continues. New pontoons must be ordered now, to get them for Caribbean sea crossing. So, it you plan to donate or sponsor, this is the time.

Logistical experts have suggested to import these to Chile or Peru, as Brazil, Argentina and Columbia import regulations can be too difficult to cope with. Timewise then Peru, Lima is the option to take. Just can somebody suggest the delivery address...

Geoholm and Amphibear in Rio de Janeiro

At 3 pm, I was on my way to the Geoholm as agreed with Gustavo Magalhaes, the local representative of the shipping company. I was slightly worried about the Amphibear’s condition and the attitude of the crew. On board the ship, I had to obey its laws; I wrote down my name and walked along the green line to get to the captain’s bridge. While in there, I took a quick look at its equipment – there were tens of places with big computer screens and operator controllers. It was a modern Nordic ship. The captain Reinhold Lederle welcomed me cheerfully because it didn’t happen every day that you can save cars at sea and later question their owners. After our conversation and discussion on the plan of action of how to bring the car to the shore, we went to see my vehicle.

With its unique profile, the Geoholm is recognisable from afar. The Amphibear is also on the deck and just visible (in the picture, it can be seen in front of the background ship).

The first sight was encouraging. The car had a lot of “cosmetic” damage – some dents, a few lights not working, flagpoles and other smaller pieces broken – but nothing that couldn’t be fixed or would cost a fortune to repair.

The half-broken gear that I wasn’t able to repair in the water was mended in half an hour on the ship deck. It wasn’t done exactly the same way as planned but still very similarly.

When I took a closer look at the pontoons, I realised that their situation wasn’t that good. In addition to some small problems, there were also a few serious dents and cracks under a support of one of the pontoons. Since one of the pontoons was leaking, all the five main chambers were filled with water.  One of the stainless cable tensioners and other smaller things were also broken.

The “cosmetic” problems were noticeable at once – a light was missing, plate and exterior mouldings bent. The small cracks near the base were difficult to see and posed a much more serious problem.

In the evening, staying in my hotel I sent my questions to the boat factory and to Mark Muru, head of the Estonian boat manufacturer “Alonaut”, who had kindly offered his advice. I doubted whether I should fix the pontoons or start thinking about ordering new (and better) ones.

Translated by Luisa Translation Agency

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