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By Larry M. Lynch
Are you going to a
South American destination that requires travel by local or
regional boats? Then you’d better think twice or prepare really
well. Along Colombia’s Pacific coast, as an example, for an ocean
voyage of from several hours up to more than two days, you may well
be obligated to take a boat on which there are not only no
creature comforts but also NO:
• Life vests or life preservers
• Life boats
• Toilets
• Chairs or seats
• Potable water
• interior lighting at night
• meals or food
There is likely to be poor ventilation and frequently passengers get
seasick with no recourse or sanitation facilities of any kind. There
might not be any reliable protection from elements like the broiling
sun, cold, wind-swept rain or splashing waves, either. You could
also be subjected to noxious fumes from cargo such as combustibles,
solvents and other chemicals. We won't even go into animal
"products" from livestock being transported. Yipes!
The cargo boat on which you’ll sail will likely have no night
running lights, be poorly maintained, and have an uneducated,
untrained crew who must work literally around the clock. The job of
two or more crew members is to stand in nearly calf-deep water in
the cargo hold of the vessel and manually bail water leaking in from
the multitudinous cracks and loose seams in the wooden hull. As
usual, the vessel will be dangerously overloaded. During vacation
and holiday seasons, it’ll be overloaded with cargo and overcrowded.
For example, one ship, licensed to carry eight to ten passengers
routinely crams more than 100 passengers aboard under conditions
resembling those depicted during the transport of slaves during the
slave trade. Many other passenger-carrying vessels aren’t licensed
for passengers at all. Registering sea-going vessels as “cargo
boats only” relieves boat owners of any responsibility
for providing even the barest of humane conditions. Boats sail
past armada inspection craft – without being inspected. Captains and
crew just “hide” passengers inside and out of sight until they’re
well away from the port (and the armada). Travelers are
simply viewed as an “extra money” commodity with no consideration
whatsoever as to comfort. Forget the idea of “pleasure” entirely.
You can pretty much also forget English-speaking officials, captains
or crew members.
So why, you might ask, do travelers continue to put up with such
archaic, unsanitary and perilous-at-best conditions that would be
considered inhumane by any standards in the world? Simple. It’s
because there are no alternatives. Cargo boat owners and
captains are given “Carte Blanche” to revel in greed treating paying
customers like cattle – or worse.
Yes, there are government regulations that mandate PFDs, life
boats, sanitary facilities, having a potable water supply, ship
to shore UHF / VHF radios and a satellite transceiver. Other
essential equipment for ocean-going vessels including boats that ply
the coastal waters from Panama to Peru include such items as night
running lights after sunset, which can be as early as 4:30 pm, a
compass, GPS locator and regular maintenance certificates in
addition to crew and trip logs.
In the 1300 kilometers from Colombia’s southern region coastal city
of Tumaco to Jurado, the northernmost port along Colombia’s Pacific
coast, the sinking of fishing, cargo and passenger vessels with the
resulting loss of life are all too common. During the past several
months, a wave of sea-going vessel disappearances has stunned and
dismayed populations of coastal communities in Colombia. We all
grieve for these senseless deaths resulting from ignorance, apathy
and avarice.
So if you’re going to a South American destination along the
Pacific coast that requires travel by local or regional boat,
you’d better think twice or prepare really well. Steps you can take
to help ensure your personal safety will be discussed in the
following article of this series entitled: “How to Ensure a Safe,
Comfortable Sea Voyage When Traveling in Latin America”.
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About the author:
Larry M. Lynch is a writer
and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and
education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in
Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America,
Mexico News and Brazil magazines in print and online. He travels
researching articles throughout Latin America and teaches at a
university in Cali, Colombia. To read more, express a comment or get
original, exclusive articles and content for your newsletter, blog
or website, contact the author at:
lynchlarrym@gmail.com
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