The China Voyage

The story of how six men and one woman made maritime history: sailing the Pacific on a bamboo raft where every wave washed right through the structure. Their purpose was to test the theory that Asian raft sailors reached America some 2000 years ago. Forming a team of builders and riggers he constructed a 60-foot ocean-going raft from 220 giant bamboos, lashing them together with rattan. Named Hsu Fu, in honour of a Chinese mariner who was sent to explore the Pacific in the third century BC, the raft set out from Hong Kong on its epic voyage. They contended with pirates, fog, gales, breakages to spars and rigging, and the gnawing of bamboo beetles eating the very fabric of the raft. They took records of the birds, fish and whales - and pollution - they encountered, and supplemented their diet by catching fish by harpoon as well as hook and line. Broken ribs, a meeting with a killer whale, and the steady deterioration of their half-submerged vessel contribute to this remarkable tale. The crossing ended 5500 miles from Hong Kong after 6 months at sea - a modern record for raft journeys in hostile waters.