The arrival in St. Maarten of the raft An-Tiki caused quite a stir. I was on the dock at the St. Maarten Yacht Club when the raft and its crew, Anthony Smith (85) David Hildred (57) Andrew Bainbridge (56) and John Russell (61) were towed through the Simpson Bay Bridge and into the lagoon at the end of their 66-day voyage from the Canary Islands. I didn’t Blog about it at the time but it was certainly worth a big mention.
The man behind the voyage, Anthony Smith, is a well know explorer who, amongst many other things, lists flying over the Alps in a balloon on his rather impressive CV. Anthony also presented a science program on British TV. The oldest member of the crew, Smith made headlines when he celebrated his 85 birthday in mid-ocean and his fellow rafters made him a cake. Images of the event went around the world and appeared on most major news networks.
The voyage of An-Tiki raised money for the charity WaterAid and the raft itself was built out of Polyethylene water pipes supplied by GPS PE Pipe Systems in the UK. “WaterAid is a very good cause. We’re very happy to be promoting them. We had a great trip and we can say that WaterAid can benefit,” said Smith shortly after stepping ashore.
Sailing Master David Hildred described how, when the rudders broke shortly after leaving the Canaries, they were able to steer by means of four dagger boards, one at each corner of the raft, and a long sweep attached to the stern. “We managed to get this incredible vessel to track very well, not only dead downwind, but on broad reaches and even on a beam reach,” he said.
An-Tiki’s crew has returned to the real world, leaving the raft at anchor in French St. Martin. I see her every day and still marvel at her amazing voyage and think about the adventurers who brought her across an ocean.
The voyage of An-Tiki may not be over. When the raft left the Canaries, the plan was to head for the Bahamas. According to Hildred, that voyage north might still happen!
2 comments:
It just goes to show that you can always follow your dreams...no matter what.
Randy @
The Happy Manic
Randy, ain't that the truth. One of the things I like about sailing and being around the water is that it inspires people! Anthony Smith, 85 and looking for his next adventure!
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