January 20, 2011
Crew of four to cross Atlantic by raft for WaterAid
Anthony Smith, an 84-year-old adventurer, writer and grandfather from
London, will set sail across the Atlantic Ocean on the An-Tiki – a raft
made from water pipes. He aims to raise thousands of dollars for
WaterAid.
Anthony Smith and the Antiki raft
Mr. Smith and his three-man crew will use only the ocean currents and a sail to make the 2,800 mile voyage from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas.
During the ten week trip they aim to highlight the fact that nearly a billion people worldwide live without clean water, and draw attention to the work that WaterAid is doing to help some of the world’s poorest communities gain access safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.
Most people my age are happy with a trip to the grocery store every Tuesday, or maybe helping out fixing the church hall roof. What I want to show is that you don't have to be satisfied with a shopping trip. You can do other things.
Anthony Smith, aged 84
“Water strikes at the very heart of need, making 'water aid' a prime
consideration,” Mr Smith commented. “To voyage almost 3,000 miles upon
the salty kind will make us intensely aware of places in the world that
are without adequate supplies.”
The former TV presenter and science correspondent found his crew by placing an advertisement in British newspaper
The Daily Telegraph
.
It read: "Fancy rafting across the Atlantic? Famous traveler requires 3
crew. Must be senior citizen. Serious adventurers only."
The
advert caught the attention of David Hildred, 57, an ocean yacht master
who has sailed the Atlantic, and explored the Amazon in a dug-out
canoe. Also in the crew are experienced seaman Andy Bainbridge, 56, and
61-year-old lawyer John Russell.
The Antiki raft being launched
Mr. Smith hopes that his extraordinary adventure will be an inspiration to other senior citizens:
"Most
people my age are happy with a trip to the grocery store every Tuesday,
or maybe helping out fixing the church hall roof," he said. "What I
want to show is that you don't have to be satisfied with a shopping
trip. You can do other things."
Inspired by Thor Heyerdahl’s
famous 1947 Kon-Tiki voyage, the An-Tiki is built from 12 meter lengths
of water and gas pipes, sealed at each end. The raft is equipped with
state of the art navigation and communications powered by solar panels,
so that its progress can be followed at
www.an-tiki.com.
A
former pilot, Mr Smith has wanted to cross the Atlantic by raft ever
since reading the true story of the survivors of the Anglo-Saxon.
During World War II, the freighter ship was sunk by a German raider.
The survivors managed to scramble into a lifeboat which drifted
westwards in the current, landing in the Bahamas some two months later.
Water will be one of the main concerns of the voyage: “On
An-Tiki, we will have more than enough on board but we will collect
rainwater, and transform saltwater into fresh, thus reminding ourselves
of its importance,” said Mr. Smith.
To support the An-Tiki crew’s efforts to raise money for WaterAid, go to
http://www.firstgiving.com/antiki
.
A poster showing the route of the Antiki raft's Atlantic crossing.
>>
Download this poster of the Antiki raft's route (PDF 12.4MB)