Witness History: Archive 2014 - The Longest Ever Raft Journey

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The Las Balsas expedition saw 12 men set off on three primitive rafts across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Australia - to prove that ancient peoples could have travelled between the two continents. The 1973 voyage was the longest ever journey by raft - double the length of the famous Kon-Tiki expedition. We hear from two of the crew members - American Mike Fitzgibbons and Gabriel Salas from Chile - about their battles with storms, sharks and a grumpy monkey.

Picture: The 12 man team outside the Suntori Motel in Ballina, New South Wales

Published on Thursday, 2nd January 2014.

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