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Witness History: The Longest Ever Raft Journey

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The 12 man team

02/01/2014 GMT

The Longest Ever Raft Journey

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Longest Ever Raft Journey

The Las Balsas expedition saw 12 men set off on three rafts across the Pacific Ocean

The Las Balsas expedition in 1973 saw 12 men set off on three rafts across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Australia.

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

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