Quote

Replica voyages are problematic. The passengers on the replica voyages knew that the Canary Current and the North Equatorial current existed and where they were; that the prevailing winds were favorable; that a destination really existed and how far away it was; how much food and water might be needed; and that a radio was available to call for help. It would have been quite a different matter for an ancient Egyptian accustomed to the quiet waters of the Nile or the Mediterranean to venture out into the apparently endless Atlantic with no knowledge of the existing currents or where to find them, with no knowledge of the existing winds, with no concept that if sight of land were lost one might sail into the vacuum. Or if the voyage was accidental, a boat caught by the current, which is more likely, why would people accustomed to sail only along the coast have the kind of provisions aboard that would last a couple of months? Heyerdahl fans also omit mentioning that the reed boat, which had started in Safi, Morocco, disintegrated 500 miles before Barbados after traveling 3890 miles. However, a true replica voyage would have set out from the mouth of the Nile NOT from Morocco. The distance from Alexandria to Casablanca (as the crow flies and thus an underestimate) is 2195 mi. A true replica voyage would have disintegrated 1700 miles into the Atlantic with the loss of all hands. There are more problems with Heyerdahl’s replica voyages, but that would require another paper.