the kon tiki expedition by thor heyerdahl

What’s incredible to note, is that Heyerdahl had nearly drowned at least twice in childhood and did not take easily to water he said later that there were times in each of his raft voyages when he feared for his life. They also caught plentiful fish of a different kind- flying fish, “dolphin fish”, yellowfin tuna, bonito, and shark the fish would congregate between the balsa logs in such numbers that sustenance for food and water was amply provided for corroborating the theory that the ancient sailors could have possibly relied on fish for hydration in the absence of other sources of freshwater. Army provided field rations, tinned food, and survival equipment. For food, Kon-Tiki carried 200 coconuts, sweet potatoes, bottle gourds and other assorted fruit and roots. The vessel carried 1,040 litres of drinking water in 56 water cans, as well as a number of sealed bamboo rods. This was set-of-the-pant navigation and a leap of faith into the deep end. There was no backup plan, no one to help them if they were to run into trouble, no documented guidelines to learn from. The crew would rely on the natural ocean currents and the prevailing winds to ferry a primitive craft across an endless sea, with the hope of landing onto the Polynesian islands – mere specks of land in the middle of nowhere. In line with the expedition’s main goal to prove that a similar sea voyage may have occurred in ancient times, Thor and his team built a raft with balsa tree trunks up to 14 m (45 ft) long, 60 cm (2 ft) in diameter, lashed together with 30 mm (1 1⁄4 in) hemp ropes.

The year was 1947, and the communication methods at that time were primitive as compared to modern-day technology. Imagine the odds and the degree of difficulty (and uncertainty) the crew faced. What is incomprehensible is the sheer bravado and daring of the crew who embarked on this three-month-long voyage, in the face of certain failure.

The kon tiki expedition by thor heyerdahl