Crew attempting to re-create Pacific Ocean expedition rescued at sea
A 14-member crew aboard two balsa wood rafts was rescued off the coast of Chile on Thursday, after the vessels were swept up in strong currents hundreds of miles off Chile's coast.
The crewmembers had intended to document marine life, pollution and climate change in the Pacific Ocean, and "double-down" on a famous 1947 voyage from Peru to Polynesia.
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"Kon-Tiki2 got its name because we seek to double-down on Thor Heyerdahl's famous voyage by sailing two rafts from South America to Polynesia and then back," the organizers say on their website. "No one has done this in modern times, and we will prove that it can be done. It's an unparalleled voyage of survival, science and exploration."
Instead, they proved it can't be done — at least not this year.
The Kon-Tiki 1 and 2 rafts set sail in early January from Chile's Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean toward the port city of Valparaiso, Chile.
However, strong currents pulled them far off course. The Chilean Navy said in a statement that the rafts were about 994 miles west of Puerto Montt in southern Chile. The Navy was sending a merchant ship about 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) away from the rafts plus a plane to track them from the sky. The group sent out a distress signal Wednesday asking for assistance.
"We realize that reaching South America will take too long and we prefer to evacuate to ensure safety for all," said expedition leader Torgeir Higraff.
In 1947, a six-man expedition sailed from Peru across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia, aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki. The journey took 101 days.
Norwegian expedition leader Thor Heyerdahl was seeking to prove his theory that winds and marine currents allowed for prehistoric sailing trips between South America and Polynesia.
A book about the expedition was translated into dozens of languages. In 1951, Heyerdahl's film about the journey won an Oscar.
"In a normal year, we would have reached South America by now," said Higraff said of the 2016 voyage. "Instead, we are still 900 nautical miles from land and the weather forecasts are not promising. The crew is in good health and spirit, and there is no emergency situation."
The crews include citizens of Norway, Peru, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and Sweden.
Admiral Mario Montejo, director of maritime operations and security, said "they are in good health, just a bit tired."
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
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