[ED. NOTE:] This update is already several days old. The crew are well downriver now, but this is the story of their attempt to boat through the Ganga Barrage, and the ensuing capsize and recovery. Sorry if the updates are all out of whack – it’s a journey!

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After 5 days at the guava orchard, we finally were told the barrage would open for us. We moved downstream to within 300 yards of the gates, tied off and spent the night. There was human shit on the beach, iron gates and a big streetlight. The barrage officials offered security, but it was grim just the same. Not having to take the boats apart and portage had the crew in a great mood, though. We played mini billiards and set off fireworks, watched the water pour over the dam. The next day the barrage officers suddenly refused to open the gates without permission from a higher up and we spent the day taking tuk tuks around Kanpur asking various officials for their signature.

The District Magistrate is the highest official in Kanpur; we sat in his house for 2 hours before being told he refused our meeting. We refused to leave and he referred us to his assistant who works in the city courthouse. The assistant was kind, works in a building surrounded by 150 tiny concrete cubicles with dirt floors where lawyers, clients, divorcees and criminals chatted about their strategies. He had us write an application and gave us permission. We went to one more office to show it to the barrage “axiom” who said the gates would open at 9:30am the next day.

At 9:30 there was no one in sight. We’d spent a week on the riverbank and were more than anxious to leave. 3 hours later they finally opened the gates, then promptly closed them when they realized they were flooding a funeral. At 4pm the head engineer (white shirt, white pants, white car) opened 4 gates again and said we had 15 minutes to go through. The original plan was to open 6 gates and let them flow for 1 hour to let difference in water level even out and the current subside. With 15 minutes and 4 gates open, the waves were big and current strong. The first boat made it through; but the next two flipped in the current. Everyone is fine; not even a scratch to report. The crew did an outstanding job dealing with the capsizing, got to shore right away and had the boats righted within an hour. We all had life jackets on, safety ropes, etc. We called off the passage and they closed the gates. Then we spent two days breaking the remaining 2 upstream boats down and transporting them downstream via tractor.

Watching a 1,500-pound steel boat capsize is a sight to behold. Watching our crew bounce back and get all 5 boats floating together as they are right now was even more amazing. We had to split up camps for two nights, deal with a lot of officials and media, fix the boats and get ready to move again. It was hard, the hardest thing we have had to deal with yet on a physical and emotional level.

It was wonderful to read all of your emails last night, and to see the tremendous support on Kicktarter. THANK YOU SO MUCH! We’re comin’ home soon! I rode the bike to the market after the internet cafe and bought out a man and his son of just about everything they had in their store… then packed it in the bike and rode to the riverbank. My ferry man was waiting for me with rock candy and a candle. He blasted his boat stereo as we crossed the river, toward lantern light and a small fire that marked our camp. Everyone met me on the shore to transfer groceries and the bike. They cheered with each bag, handed me a bowl of hot food then scarfed down 3 bags of Oreos I found in a kiosk. Bed by 8:30pm, sleep, then morning light and the sound of the fishermen…

–PF