As if the challenge of pulling a 320-ton boat wasn't enough to deal with, the production was plagued by heavy rains, casting problems -- lead actor Jason Robards had to be replaced by Klaus Kinski due to illness, while Mick Jagger dropped out due to a Rolling Stones concert -- and a border war that broke out between Peru and Ecuador.

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The teams have reacted to a wide range of jobs including rescuing survivors of a boat explosion on Loch Lomond and pulling injured climbers off Ben Nevis.

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"It's reaching, it's digging deep, and it's pulling hard, " said Beverly Booth, captain of the Dragon Boat Atlanta team, nicknamed Steel Magnolias.

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Instead we found Peter Bornu and his wife, knee-deep in thick, oily mud pulling at the branches of the mangroves and stacking them in their wooden boat.

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