Yachts and fishing boats converged Saturday on Rio's filthy Guanabara Bay, the site of next year's Olympic sailing contests, to protest the authorities' failure to tackle severe pollution, according to AFP.
More than a dozen sailboats, eight small fishing craft and a swarm of canoes were among the fleet embarking from Marina da Gloria, the inner city harbor where Olympic athletes are already preparing for the 2016 Summer Games. Sailing under the imposing cliffs of the Sugarloaf mountain, protesters honked foghorns, blew rescue whistles and chanted "baia viva!", meaning roughly "the bay lives!"
Water quality in Guanabara has become the main concern over Brazil's preparations for the world's biggest sporting event. The city promises safe conditions, but environmental activists say the stunningly scenic Guanabara Bay is effectively a giant sewer.