VOYAGE OF LA KANTUTA

[Music] you might call this particular show a trip into the past we'll have the exciting experience of watching modern voyagers try to duplicate an ancient adventure at least it's something our group thought had happened long ago and with very little sailing knowledge they were willing to bet their luck and their lives that they could prove their theory they rashly tackled the world's mightiest ocean the pacific in a crude raft built to imitate the vessels in which they believed the ancient incas had once sailed toward the sunset but that was only an educated hunch it had to be tested so they sailed too the graft was their home at sea for many months and it came very close to becoming a floating tomb for them maybe you recall when newspapers were following the voyage of la cantuta and hoping they wouldn't have to write a fatal ending to the madcap adventure well now you'll see the whole story it's a bit zany perhaps but it's all true there's nothing staged or contrived here join us aboard la cantuta for a journey filled with true adventure [Music] our adventure begins far from the sea where the real drama will occur but it's among these people the ancient tribes of peru living high in the andes mountains that this amazing tale really begins [Music] for 500 years these proud people lived under different rulers but despite the many political changes they maintain to this day their ancient culture and costumes especially at fiesta time in the inca city of cuzco among the many spectators is natalia mazuelos destined to play a major role in the true adventure about to unfold natalia only represents half of the story however [Music] because the rest is taking place nearly a thousand miles away in the peruvian port of talara it is here in a remote corner of a busy modern shipyard that a weird-looking sea-going craft is being assembled the boat or king-sized raft i i think you'd call it is the brainchild of eduard ingress a native of czechoslovakia a musician by trade but an adventure at heart ingress first conceived the idea of making this raft when he became intrigued with the world famous voyage of kontiki the raft you recall that successfully sailed from peru to the polynesian islands in order to prove that the early incas might have migrated to the south seas to make his own trip and to help build the actual boat ingress chose four men andy rust a dutchman the only one with any previous sailing experience right here joaquin guerrero a one-time track athlete a part-time actor mirko an engineer and refugee from czechoslovakia like ingress who took a 30-minute course in radio to qualify as the radio operator on the voyage ingress himself was rarely seen in the films because he was the only photographer makes up the fourth member of the crew these four men will soon join forces with natalia the inca girl on this primitive raft why natalia why didn't ingress choose her first of all having a girl along was different even the men aboard the corn tikki didn't have a girl to share their adventure for another thing natalia was the only authentic member of the inca tribe in the crew her home city here in puno is located in the very heart of what was once the inca empire consequently ingress hoping to prove the incas were hardy enough to endure an ocean migration chose natalia as a living example of their ancient racial stock so she begins her journey on the frail tatora rafts used for centuries on lake titicaca high in the andes natalia starts her long journey for her rendezvous with the rest of the crew ingress on a previous visit had already informed her of the dangers that she'll face natalia has pure inca blood in her veins she wants to prove that the sturdy women who reared children and sowed seeds in this barren land were also strong enough and brave enough to endure the hazards of a long sea voyage [Music] understandably there's doubt and uncertainty in her mind at this point but never a lack of courage [Music] at the railroad station to natalia's surprise the decision to join the voyage has already made her a heroine in the eyes of her people and it also shows the wide interest the voyage has aroused throughout peru and the rest of south america [Music] even more than the voyage of contiki which was widely exploited in the united states this expedition had added meaning and purpose for the people of peru because now one of their very own is going to be a part of it and no wonder natalie is greeted so warmly by her admirers both natalia and her friends being solid and knowing people in the stern ways of the sea are fully aware of the dangers which lie ahead for her and the men that she's about to join and so to sustain and uplift her during the coming ordeal natalia asked for divine help guidance and mercy individual grace is not the only divine inspiration and guidance that's desired following the ancient seafarers tradition in every land the vessel itself must be blessed to do this natalia asks that the same priest who comforted her give his further blessing to the primitive craft which she herself has not even seen until this moment also unknown to her is the fact that ingress and his men have already had their share of problems originally they wanted to leave in october when the westward current would be the strongest it is december already they are late at the dedication ceremonies anyway everybody was happy and enthused especially the crowd [Music] the vessel is officially christened la cantuta a word from the ancient tongue meaning the undying or the immortal one specifically it refers to a flower the inca legends endowed with the power of immortality the same flower which is painted on the sail and which they hope will bring them good luck they may need some luck in order to make this odd looking craft as authentic as possible there's not a single nail in the entire construction in order to duplicate the material and workmanship of the ancient vessels the logs similar to balsa wood were transported from the forests of northern peru and secured in place with braided fiber ropes would she sail once they put to sea well the day of the big test is at hand on the fourth day of december four men and a girl take their last look at peru their destination not just polynesia as contiki had done but further all the way to australia halfway around the world [Music] natalia the inca girl from peru points to the sea and says gentlemen how about some turtle soup for lunch if so all you've got to do is go get him [Music] willingly though not too expertly the men on board namely joaquin andy mirko and eduardo ingress who is doing the actual filming do their best to comply with the ladies wishes or turtle zoo [Music] [Music] the landing of the king-sized turtle is typical of the carefree attitude which is occupied the plucky but somewhat inexperienced crew during its first three weeks at sea so far they've come several hundred miles without a mishap but their ultimate destination still lies several thousand miles away the thousands of miles that separate peru from the island continent of [Music] australia to pass some time joaquin the actor in the group attempts to pass on some expert advice to chiquita who's been adopted as the official mascot of la cantuta obviously neither party is particularly worried about the raft's position or their individual safety however the sighting of a boy on the horizon at the start of the fourth week gives the crew its first hint everything is not quite according to plan using the cantutas raft andy and mirko decide to retrieve the buoy the rubber raft by the way uh was not only a real lifesaver for the cantuta crew but it was from this smaller craft that ingress was able to get into the water and take some of the most dramatic long shots of la cantuch riding the tides of the wide pacific [Music] there it is once on board the boy now properly identified confirms their suspicions they're off course way off course immediately there's speculation as to how and why it happened if they could have only started three weeks earlier as they wanted instead of being held up by the authorities perhaps then they would have been carried by the proper currents or if the boat that towed them out of the harbor when they began their journey had only gone a little further westward perhaps now they'd be on course well there were dozens of other possibilities where errors and mistakes were made but it's too late to complain about what should have been done and now mirko with his limited knowledge of navigation as best as he knows how attempts to fix their proper position [Music] he checks and rechecks his sextant and log readings at this point he suspects the worst has happened la cantuta is lost mirko wisely says nothing at first there's no use alarming the rest of the crew not yet until he double checks his figures and besides as long as there's enough food on board and a good cook to prepare it i worry the rice spaghetti beans and various canned and powdered staples they had on board are still palatable at this point [Music] however even as they're eating the salt air and spray is rusting away the remaining cans dampening the wax and foil covering the rest of the food that's not stopping the crew from enjoying their meal [Music] and even ingress takes time out to have one of the other men shoot a rare picture of himself and so day after jury day week after weary weak lock and tudor rolls on the pauses for recreation and laughter are fewer and farther between than when they first started chakita the parrot is still a chief supplier of laughs and conversations but even she seems to be losing her sense of humor and getting tired of the journey [Music] now in shark infested waters the troubles of la cantuta really begin a whale shark longer than the raft itself is spotted look at the size of that [Music] its presence alone is a threat to lock and tutor andy tries to attack it with a spear but to no avail fortunately the shark doesn't attack but for three terrifying days a whole family of these brutes encircled the la cantuta just looking [Music] finally they disappear the crew begins to have its hope renewed perhaps the la cantuta does lead a charmed life maybe they'll make it after all haven't they come over 1500 miles with only a few sore backs and bruises and some sunburn to worry about [Music] even ingress becomes more cheerful as the one-time musician and composer takes time out to play his favorite guitar he sings the ancient songs of the sea he tells his crew that before their all through they too will become living legends in their time but wait perhaps they become too optimistic suddenly unexpectedly and out of nowhere a storm arises natalia as hearty as any of the men becomes dreadfully sick she's suffering from a combination of seasickness fatigue and improper diet fortunately the few medicines on board have survived the ravages of the salt air including calcium liver shots vitamins and a glucose solution [Music] a daily injection of these vital medicines are natalia's only means of survival [Music] to make it even more difficult for natalia she has to administer her own injections with a raft rocking and shaking violently it's impossible for the other men to steady her long enough to find the right vein for the necessary needle this must be an intravenous shot now hopelessly lost with natalia the rest of the crew are sick and helpless la cantuta is completely at the mercy of the pounding pacific now we can see the courage of this peruvian girl [Music] these are truly the times when you find out the stuff that men and women are made of with their radio out of commission there's no way for sending for help their navigational charts they discover are completely useless the situation has reached the critical stage outside the storm reaches a peak unleashes the full fury of howling wind and turbulent seas [Music] [Music] almost miraculously the radio begins working because they're down to their last gallons of gas which are needed to drive the generator they limit each broadcast to a few minutes [Music] the call for help goes out it's enough to at least give them some hope they keep sending their sos signals out every day seemingly in vain and although the crew of la cantuta had certainly thought so by now the rest of the world was not unaware of their plight [Music] magazines and newspapers the disappearance of lock and tuna had gained worldwide attention radio ham operators particularly those in south america were told to be on the alert [Music] even after the first faint signal was picked up it took six anxious days to pinpoint her location finally the job was done by the united states ships rehoboth and greenville victory after 91 days at sea the ordeal was over well almost la cantura was taken in toll preparations were made to try and save her during the process of lifting the assortment of logs and lumber the immortal one almost suffered a mortal blow by falling completely apart somehow however it managed to stay together and today it's a museum piece was the voyage of la cantu all in vain well not quite certainly not to those who endured the actual hazards for as one of them told the rescue party we proved that some of those inca indians who sailed for polynesia could have gotten lost [Music] you