Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

In Heyerdahl’s Wake- Across Atlantic in Reed Boat

by Worldhum.com/Sail-World on 8 Jul 2007
Scale model of Abora SW
Like his idol and role model, Kon-Tiki captain and author Thor Heyerdahl, Dominique Görlitz says he’s going to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a primitive craft in an effort to prove prehistoric peoples could have made the journey.

This summer, he and his 11-member crew will attempt to go from west to east, from New York to Portugal via the Azores aboard the Abora III

'Thor Heyerdahl only sailed from East to West, with the wind at his back,' Görlitz told Spiegel’s Stephan Orth. 'You could toss a refrigerator into the water in Morocco and it would eventually end up in America.' It’s quite a challenge, then, but Görlitz is prepared. Sort of. He doesn’t have a sailing license.

However, members of his five-nation crew, many of whom were recruited through 'ads in magazines, on the Internet and on television,' according to Orth, seem to be experienced. They’ll all sail aboard the Abora III, a 12-ton, 12.5-meter reed boat built by the Aymara tribe in Bolivia, which still uses reed boats today.

Why does Görlitz want to make the trip? The former physical education and biology teacher believes 'traces of tobacco plants and cocaine were found in Egypt, in the tombs of Ramses II and Tutankhamun,' and this trip could prove that trans-Atlantic trade could have occurred 14,000 years ago.

The reed boat hull was constructed in Bolivia, by the Aymara's and flown by air to New Jersey. There the deck cabins, where the crew will live for three months, were built and added.

The reconstruction of the boat has been made possible thanks to the 15 years that Görlitz has spent studying rock carvings found in Upper Egypt, where he came to the conclusion that the lateral lines on the boats were really oars that would allow them to sail even when the winds were not favourable.

They will be bobbing like a cork up the Gulf stream, but they do have a few pieces, which were not available to the earlier sailors. They have solar panels providing some electricity, a GPS to a satellite telephone for emergencies and a computer with which to update the onboard journal of the 'Abora III', named after a Canary god.

The Abora III expedition aims to set out on July 11th.
X-Yachts X4.3Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeBarton Marine Pipe Glands

Related Articles

2025 World Sailing Awards finalists revealed
Voting opens today, including Rolex World Sailor of the Year World Sailing is very proud to announce the finalists for this year's male and female Rolex World Sailor of the Year, male and female Kuehne+Nagel Young World Sailor of the Year, 11th Hour Racing Impact Award, and Team of the Year.
Posted today at 10:27 am
2025 Aloha Classic Grand Final day 3
The biggest masters field in windsurfing history and junior champions crowned Day 3 of the Aloha Classic Grand Final delivered a spectacular showcase of windsurfing talent across generations, from the rising stars of the Junior and Pro Junior divisions to the legendary Masters.
Posted today at 9:39 am
Drummoyne Cup 2025 overall
The event saw more than 70 boats registered The second annual Drummoyne Cup, held on Sunday, 21 September, kicked off the 2025-26 sailing season in spectacular fashion, celebrating community spirit and competitive sailing at Drummoyne Sailing Club.
Posted today at 8:49 am
The Crazy Week of the Globe40
After two weeks at sea since the start from Cape Verde This has been a week we won't soon forget in the story of this second edition of the GLOBE40. After two weeks at sea since the start from Cape Verde in this high-coefficient (3) leg 2, the competitors continued their descent of the South Atlantic.
Posted today at 7:13 am
Sail Port Stephens adds cats, keelboats, and more
2026 will be the biggest and best in the regatta's 18-year history Sail Port Stephens 2026 will be the biggest and best in the regatta's 18-year history, with new events being added to further spice up the racing format.
Posted today at 5:39 am
America's Cup: Big day for 38th Cup
ETNZ announce new team members; Dalton and Ainslie expand on the ACP; Kiwis have their first sail. Friday October 17, was a big day for the America's Cup - when the Defender went sailing for the first time in the new Cup cycle; the Kiwis announced four new team members; Grant Dalton and Ben Ainslie explained more on the new America's Cup Partnership.
Posted today at 3:55 am
Hamilton Island backs next wave of skiff talent
AST 16ft Skiff is set to line up in the iconic Port Jackson Championship The Australian Sailing Team (AST) 16ft Skiff is set to line up in the iconic Port Jackson Championship this weekend, hosted by the Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club (Manly 16s).
Posted today at 3:07 am
Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race Day 7
Two more finish as Lucky declared overall winner Frantic and Antipodes have finished the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race (S2A), as RPAYC declared Bryon Ehrhart's Lucky the overall winner of the 1250 nautical mile race, adding to her line honours and race record victories - a triple crown for the US entry.
Posted today at 1:22 am
Emirates Team NZ rounds out sailing team
Emirates Team NZ team are back out sailing with their AC40 from their home base in Auckland. Almost a year to the day since Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup the team are back out sailing with their AC40 from their home base in Auckland.
Posted today at 1:02 am
Transat Café L'or fleet has mustered in Le Havre
148 skippers, 74 boats, 4 classes At nine days before the start of the 17th edition of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie, all the skippers have now arrived in Le Havre, marking the start of the festivities.
Posted on 16 Oct