Rescued Kon Tiki 2 Crewmembers Halt Expedition and Arrive in Santiago

Summary: Rescued Kon Tiki 2 crewmembers halt their doubled down expedition and arrive March 21 in Santiago, Chile, after a 114-day Pacific journey of 4,500 nautical miles.

Kon Tiki 2 issued a distress call Thursday, March 17, 2016: 24 Horas @24HorasTVN, via Twitter March 18, 2016

On Monday, March 21, 2016, rescued Kon Tiki 2 crew members arrived in Santiago, Chile, after a raft malfunction drove the 14-member international crew to halt their doubled down version of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 landmark sailing expedition.

“There were stressful situations. For example, when there were big waves and cold, but we never felt that our lives were in danger,” Kon Tiki 2’s second-in-command, Roberto Salas Rey from Peru, says March 21 in La Prensa’s article. “One of our best achievements was having stayed healthy during the entire expedition and with excellent spirits.”

Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon Tiki expedition, namesake of 2016’s Kon Tiki 2 expedition, inspires the 14-member international crew to show, once again, the possibility of sailing from coastal South America westward to Pacific Ocean islands via a native-styled log raft. Kon Tiki 2 plans to sail from the Peruvian port of Callao to Chile’s Easter Island and then, for the doubled down leg, to sail from Easter Island to the Chilean port of Valparaiso.

Kon Tiki 2 consists of two rafts, in contrast to Thor Heyerdahl’s single raft. The log rafts are named Rhiti Tane and Tupac Yupanqui.

Kon Tiki 2’s two rafts set sail Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, from Callao. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, the expedition reaches Easter Island.

On New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, Kon Tiki 2 departs from Easter Island. The two rafts set sail for the expedition’s final destination, Valaparaiso. Central Chile’s major seaport is located slightly southeast of Chile’s Easter Island, easternmost island of Polynesia.

A malfunction, however, prevents one of the expedition’s two rafts from sailing. On Thursday, March 17, Kon Tiki 2 requests rescue.

Japanese merchant vessel Hokuetsu Ushaka provides initial assistance. Transfer to Piloto Pardo, a Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) vessel, occurs on the high seas, about 1,600 kilometers (about 1,000 miles) from the Chilean coast.

“This rescue was made within the … rescue area that is the responsibility of the Chilean navy, using the institution’s capabilities for this type of activity,” reports Rear Admiral William Corthorn Rodriguez in a navy communique.

Kon Tiki 2 features an international crew. Crew members represent Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Russia and Sweden.

During the expedition, crew members conduct research on climate change and pollution in the Pacific Ocean.

On March 21, Norwegian crew member Håkon Wium Lie writes on the official Kon Tiki 2 website about the early landfall occasioned by the halted expedition:

"The Chilean Navy ship "Piloto Pardo" today entered the port of Talcahuano, near Conception, in Chile. All Kon-Tiki2 crew members are on board. While still at sea, but with cellphone connectivity, Expedition leader Torgeir Higraff expressed heartfelt sadness for not arriving by raft, as he has been planning for years. However, he also expressed gratitude for everyone being safe thanks to the Chilean Navy and the Hokietsu Ushaka freight ship. In the hours to come, the crew will transfer to a local hotel and have debriefing sessions. And probably a good meal, prepared on land, for the first time in 74 days."

Kon Tiki 2 expedition reportedly was blown off course by atypical winds: Kon-Tiki2 Expedition @kontiki2, via Twitter March 20, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Kon Tiki 2 issued a distress call Thursday, March 17, 2016: 24 Horas @24HorasTVN, via Twitter March 18, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/24HorasTVN/status/710790847797788672

Kon Tiki 2 expedition reportedly was blown off course by atypical winds: Kon-Tiki2 Expedition @kontiki2, via Twitter March 20, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/kontiki2/status/711656238195544064

For further information:

24 Horas @24HorasTVN. "Rescatan en alta mar a 14 cientificos tripulantes de la balsa Kon-Tiki 2." Twitter. March 18, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/24HorasTVN/status/710790847797788672

euronews (in English). "Kon-Tiki crew rescued off coast of Chile." YouTube. March 18, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XkodRbLY9c

Higraff, Torgeir Sæverud. "From ship to ship with gratitude." Kon-Tiki2. March 19, 2016.
Available @ http://kontiki2.com/

"Kon-Tiki 2 crewmembers set foot in Chile after being rescued." La Prensa San Antonio.
Available @ http://laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/3703172_kon-tiki-2-crewmembers-set-foot-in-chile-after-being-rescued.html

Kon-Tiki2 Expedition @kontiki2. "How much more quickly and comfortably the nautical miles are covered on the 'Pilot Pardo' than on a #sailing raft!" Twitter. March 20, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/kontiki2/status/711656238195544064

Lie, Håkon Wium. "Landfall." Kon-Tiki2. March 21, 2016.
Available @ http://kontiki2.com/

Meling, Signe, and Ola Borgfjord. "Thank you Hokuetsu Ushaka!" Kon-Tiki2. March 19, 2016.
Available @ http://kontiki2.com/