(2015-10-02) We are overjoyed to finally have balsa logs at the SIMA shipyard where the rafts will be built. Two containers with 11 meter logs arrived today. These logs will be used as crossbars, on top of the main logs (which are 17 meters longs).

(2015-10-06) Torgeir Higraff, the Kon-Tiki2 expedition leader writes from Valparaiso: Today I had the pleasure of meeting Rear Admiral Mr José Miguel Rivera Sariego, Deputy Chief of the Estado General High Command of the Chilean Armada. I was received very well in the headquarter in Valparaiso in the office of the admiral. What Mr. Rivera Sariego said I will never forget; "The safety of people in Chilean waters is of great interest of the Chilean Armada, so naturally one of the greatest search and rescue vessels in the world will be stand by for Kon-Tiki2". We are proud to have the generous support from the naval forces of both Peru and Chile – in the name of science.

(2015-10-08) Torgeir Higraff writes from Chile: On the western coast of Norway my mother was raised with nine brothers and sisters as a worker in the fields and mountains only helped by the Norwegian Fjord Horse. For that reason it was relatively easy to choose the wine for our expedition, even in Maipo Valley, Chile. The first thing I noticed in the Odfjell wineyard was several horses of this strong breed, one of the oldest in the world. Then Tomas Uribe presented me to how wine can be made in a sustainable way, and the many challenges in the production line. I share Uribes passion, but not his expertise! The wine we will enjoy in calm days on our rafts is named after what we pick up in huge numbers every night from the bamboo deck, flying fish.

(2015-10-10) Cecilie Mauritzen is the Chief Scientist of the Kon-Tiki2 expedition. In this podcast she discusses the scientific research that will take place on the two rafts, the challenge of organizing it, and the possibility of getting a good night's sleep. Favorite quote: We do microplastic in ways one couldn't dream of just three years ago

(2015-10-13) Lisa Suhay of the Christian Science Monitor has written an article about how the Kon-Tiki2 Expedition will map the Great Pacific Garbage Patch:

The Peruvian Current has never before been mapped for plastic and molecular pollution. The balsawood rafts are perfect platforms to make people aware of this giant environmental problem.

(2015-10-18) A team of volunteers are working hard at the SIMA shipyard in Lima. Two balsa rafts are being built with enormous logs from 3A Composites in Ecuador. We have some advantages over raftbuilders of the past: we have chainsaws and electric drills. Also, we have some disadvantages: we need to deal with customs, and we don't have dictatorial power over the volunteers' schedules. However, the rafts will sail from Lima on Nov 1st and the race is on to make sure they are ready. Fantastic photos by Camote Luis Herrera.

(2015-10-20) Our team of volunteers continue to work hard at the SIMA shipyard in Lima. Two balsa rafts are being built with enormous logs from 3A Composites in Ecuador. New workers arrive daily to make sure the rafts are ready for departure on Nov, 1st. Håkon Wium Lie also talked with two of the crew members: Gunvor and Signe:

(2015-10-21) The Kon-Tiki2 rafts are made of balsawood, from the same place where Thor Heyerdahl found his trunks in 1947. What you may not know is that balsa from our supplier 3A Composites is used in so many other modern constructions, some of them essential for energy supply in the future. In this video, you will learn more about the material that will keep us afloat.

(2015-10-22) Luis Herrera has spent some days with the Kon-Tiki2 builders in Lima. He has produced a fantastic documentary which shows how the rafts are being built. Meet Torgeir Higraff and the others, and learn how to build a raft!

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