From The Old World To The New

In 1969 the fifteen meter ‘Ra’ with seven explorers aboard left the old Phoenician port of Safi, Morocco, and charted a course across the North Atlantic Ocean bound for Barbados. Their mission: to prove the theory proposed by explorer Thor Heyerdahl that ancient seafarers could have established a broad network of cultural and trade exchange between the west coast of North Africa and the east coast of the Americas. Sailing under the flag of the United Nations the ships contingent included an Italian, a Russian, a Mexican, an Egyptian, a Chadian, an American, and the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl. Only the American, Norman Baker, and Heyerdahl had any previous sailing and navigation experience, Heyerdahl having twenty years earlier sailed the balsa raft ‘Kon-tiki’ across the Pacific from Peru to Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands.

Using ancient methods and assisted by traditional boat builders from Lake Chad, Heyerdahl constructed his new ship ‘Ra’ from twelve tons of papyrus reeds, a plant used for centuries by ancient Egyptians as a writing material and for mattresses, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. He christened his ship "Ra" to symbolize the solar worship predominate in many ancient civilizations. Papyrus reed boats were the most common form of transport along the ancient Nile and the Eastern Mediterranean seaboard, with trading forays down the Red Sea.

Heyerdahl hoped to prove that such vessels were sturdy enough to withstand long voyages in the open sea. Conditions along the African coast were difficult but once at sea proper the ship proved exceptionally capable of handling the elements. After several weeks a decision to cut what proved to be a critical strut between the inward curving prow and the deck caused the stern of the ship to sink, and with a hurricane approaching the ‘Ra’ was frustratingly short of its goal. After 56 days at sea and less than a week from making landfall in Barbados the voyage was abandoned, and the crew had to be rescued. Undaunted Heyerdahl set of from Morocco again in the ‘Ra2’. This time the voyage proved successful, although in the last few days they became lost, fears were held for the crews’ safety, and the UN sent a ship on a rescue mission.