Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft

Thor Heyerdahl (1948)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Kon-Tiki is the story of Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 expedition by raft across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to the Polynesian islands. The Norwegian explorer believed, contrary to scientific opinion at the time, that people from South America could have settled in Polynesia, and this was his way to prove that the trip could be made. The raft was about 45 feet long, constructed mainly from balsa wood and bamboo, carrying six men and a parrot on what ultimately became a successful 101 day and 4,300 mile journey. Their planning was brave but amazingly foolhardy; they built the raft based on historical records and literally learned how to manage the vessel by experimentation along the way. They depended on the sea both for food and entertainment, facing daily challenges and adventures with flying fish, giant squid, sharks and even a massive blue whale. The book instantly became a bestseller, not because of any definitive scientific conclusion but instead for the appeal of the quest for knowledge and adventure that drove them to battle the sea and chase this dream. Although written in 1948, the book is still very readable today.

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GREAT QUOTES:

“SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE IN FATE, OTHERS DON’T. I DO, and I don’t. It may seem at times as if invisible fingers move us about like puppets on strings. But for sure, we are not born to be dragged along. We can grab the strings ourselves and adjust our course at every crossroad, or take off at any little trail into the unknown.”
- Thor Heyerdahl, foreword to Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft

The literal and complete telegram invitation from Heyerdahl to three of the crew:
"Am going to cross Pacific on a wooden raft to support a theory that the South Sea islands were peopled from Peru. Will you come? I guarantee nothing but a free trip to Peru and the South Sea islands and back, but you will find good use for your technical abilities on the voyage. Reply at once." (The answer from one was one word.,,, "Coming.")
- Thor Heyerdahl, foreword to Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft

THE RAFT ITSELF

Kon-Tiki carried a six man crew, including five Norwegians and a Swede.
The main body of the raft was made from nine balsa tree trunks that were approximately 45 feet long, tied together with hemp ropes. The main mast was 29 feet high, made from lengths of mangrove wood. No metal was used anywhere in the construction.
There is a Kon-Tiki museum in Oslo, and the original Kon-Tiki raft is on display.

INTERESTING LINKS:

Read how Smithsonian geographer Doug Herman summarizes the science of navigating the Pacific.
Thor Heyerdahl died in 2002. Read the New York Times obituary on this great adventurer
Kon-Tiki was made into a film documentary that won the 1951 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and then into a highly acclaimed film in 2012, nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language.