The Journey Of The Kon-Tiki
Reader's Digest India|June 2024
Is it possible to cross the Pacific on a wooden raft? Natural scientist Thor Heyerdahl risks everything to prove it
Dirk Liesemer AND Lars Abromeil
The Journey Of The Kon-Tiki

It is a dangerous experiment. In 1947, natural scientist Thor Heyerdahl (above) and five companions set sail from Peru on a wooden raft. Their destination: Polynesia, some 7,000 kilometres away. Heyerdahl wants to prove that the island world in the Pacific was originally settled from South America. Experts ridi- cule the Norwegian. Recent genetic analyses, however, have shone a new light on the adventure.

WITHIN MINUTES, the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean around the Kon-Tiki have turned into a stormy sea: dark clouds chase across the sky. Powerful waves lift the raft by five or six metres, then abruptly send it plummeting into deep, blue-black valleys. It lurches in the wind. And the logs from which the raft is built move against each other.

Thor Heyerdahl, the 32-year-old Norwegian leader of the expedition, clings to the bow in the rigging, when suddenly a cry for help cuts through the roar of the storm. A crew member has slipped from the raft. The man is drifting in the waves, trying to hold on to the rudder blade—in vain.

Heyderdahl yells commands, but no one hears him amid the roar. One crew member tries to throw a lifeline, but it’s caught in its drum. Another hurls the life jacket into the storm; the wind tosses it back onto the deck. The man in distress is barely visible among the waves. The crew cannot turn the vessel; even tacking against the wind is out of the question. Finally, another crew member jumps into the ocean. He crawls through the waves with one arm, holding a life jacket in the other arm, which is moored to the raft by a line.

Twenty metres from the raft, the two men come together between the waves. The crew hastily pulls them back on board using the line.

This story is from the June 2024 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 2024 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView All
Demonstrators by Krishna Reddy
Reader's Digest India

Demonstrators by Krishna Reddy

1968 Multicolour viscosity, Print on paper

time-read
1 min  |
January 2025
Notes from Grief Camp
Reader's Digest India

Notes from Grief Camp

Every summer, more than a hundred children come together to spend a weekend swimming, climbing and canoeing. They also learn to deal with death

time-read
9 mins  |
January 2025
Six Places Cheese Lovers Should Visit
Reader's Digest India

Six Places Cheese Lovers Should Visit

Ancient caves, monasteries, and other must-sees for fromage fans

time-read
6 mins  |
January 2025
THE LAND OF SUPERCEN TENARIANS
Reader's Digest India

THE LAND OF SUPERCEN TENARIANS

A remote region of Azerbaijan claims to have many extremely long-lived residents. What is their secret, or is it just a myth?

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
The Whistle Blowers
Reader's Digest India

The Whistle Blowers

My grandparents had a distinctive way of communicating

time-read
3 mins  |
January 2025
"THE NEXT AIRCRAFT WILL CRASH ON LANDING"
Reader's Digest India

"THE NEXT AIRCRAFT WILL CRASH ON LANDING"

THE JET WAS ALMOST OUT OF FUEL. THE PILOTS' ONLY OPTION WAS A MANOEUVRE NO ONE HAD EVER ATTEMPTED.

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
The Secrets in our Genes
Reader's Digest India

The Secrets in our Genes

Genomic sequencing tests can reveal much about your unique physiology. But are they worth it?

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Reader's Digest India

GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MENTAL HEALTH When her son was arrested last year, Tambudzai Tembo's mind went to dark thoughts of suicide.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
Into the Inferno
Reader's Digest India

Into the Inferno

A gas station owner has seconds to react when a car crashes into a gas pump

time-read
3 mins  |
January 2025
THE CLIMATE CHANGERS
Reader's Digest India

THE CLIMATE CHANGERS

THESE PLACES ARE LEADING THE WAY TO A FUTURE FREE OF FOSSIL FUELS

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025