TPI July 2012

business & market

news

An-Tiki sets sail from St Maarten in the Caribbean

‘Ancient mariner’ returns to An-Tiki raft An 86-year-old grandfather and a plucky crew of over-50s have set sail from the Caribbean, bound for the Bahamas, on a raft made from water pipes. aged from 50 to 62: husband and wife Leigh and Nigel Gallaher, from Boston; Ali Porteous from Uganda; and Bruno Sellmer from Brazil.

and hygiene. One of the crew’s final tasks before setting sail was to fill five of the raft’s 18ft cross-pipes with fresh water for drinking, cooking and washing. “Without food a man takes 60 days to die. Without water he lasts a quarter of that time. On An-Tiki we will have ample water for our needs, yet millions of people around the world are living in places without an adequate supply,” said Mr Smith.

The voyage is expected to take around four to five weeks to cover a further 700 miles. 11.5x6m (39x20ft) raft is made from polyethylene water and gas pipes, with a timber deck, 8m mast and a square sail. An accommodation pod provides shelter and space for communications, sleeping, and cooking, and electricity is provided by four solar panels and a wind generator, with a manual generator as an emergency back up system. The An-Tiki voyage is also raising awareness and funds for the charity WaterAid, which works with some of the world’s poorest communities to improve access to safe water, sanitation

They hope to raise £50,000 for the international charity WaterAid.

As reported in Tube Products International last year, writer and explorer Anthony Smith made history by crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the ‘An-Tiki’ raft, travelling 2,600 miles in 66 days. Mr Smith and his three-man crew of ‘mature and intrepid gentlemen’ arrived safely at the Caribbean island of St Maarten, having been blown off course from their destination, the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Now Mr Smith, with a new band of senior sailors, is attempting to complete the expedition. The crew consists of two men and two women

To make a donation to WaterAid please visit:

www.justgiving.com/AnTiki (UK) www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/ anthony-smith-4/antiki (USA)

an-Tiki expedition www.gasballoon.com/antiki

Wateraid – UK www.wateraid.org

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Tube ProducTs InTernaTIonal July 2012

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