RA 2 | Barbados Island Life

The archive description field doesn't exist for the current taxonomy so no content will be displayed

Thor Heyerdahl and family meet Barbadians from the deck of the Ra II.

Historic

On Board Ra II After Arrival

Mary Ann Baker at right and Jill Otway on the Ra II.

Jill Otway on the Ra II cabin roof, Bridgetown

Mary Ann and Jill examine the kitchen!

Norman and Mary Ann Baker talk with Alan Otway and Pat Toppin.

On board of Ra II a few days after arrival - photographer Paul Mandeville talks with Pat Toppin while Alan Otway mans the ham radio.

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

Ra II morning after arrival foredeck from mast

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

Alan & Jill Otway and Pat Toppin of the Barbados Amature Radio Club talk to the World with Ra II's call sign.

Thor Heyerdahl and family meet Barbadians from the deck of the Ra II.

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

Thor Heyerdahl, Norman Baker, family members and others watch the Ra II come into the dry dockThor Heyerdahl, Norman Baker, family members and others watch the Ra II come into the dry dock

Photographer Willie Alleyne discusses a point with Thor Heyerdahl

'Thor Heyerdahl','Ra II','Ra 2','Ra II Bridgetown','Ra2 Bridgetown'

Ra II is towed to the DeepWater Harbour for Shipment to Norway

Norman Baker lifts the boom as Thor Heyerdahl and his international crew on Ra 2 arrives in Bridgetown, Barbados July 12th, 1970 ra2-arv-0014

Historic

Thor Heyerdahl & Ra II Arrive in Barbados July 12th, 1970

The Norwegian explorer had just proved that the ancients could have sailed from North Africa to the New World millennia before Columbus made the trip!

Bajans turned out in droves to welcome the explorers

Thor Heyerdahl and his International crew arrive at Bridgetown, Barbados after 57 days at sea on the Ra 2 - July 12th, 1970 ra2-arv-0004

Thor Heyerdahl and his International crew arrive at Bridgetown, Barbados after 57 days at sea on the Ra 2 - July 12th, 1970 ra2-arv-0004

Of course, before there was a Ra II there had to be a Ra I –

Heyerdahl had tried the trip the year before and had made it to within 600 miles of Barbados.

They had to abandon their waterlogged craft and hitch a ride to the island.

During the Ra I journey we had been intently following them across the Atlantic as my dad Paul Burleigh was an avid ham radio opperator.

He and the other Bajan hams, including Alan Otway (8P6AH) and Pat Toppin (8P6AZ), had been talking with the members of the expedition all the way across.

Ra II Arrives at the Pierhead

Ra II Arrives Barbados 0 signed print

My dad had been in contact with a Norwegian ham called Christian and Heyerdahl wanted to send messages back after they arrived.

He and the Russian doctor Yuri Senkevich (lower center in photo) came up to our house at Lammings, St. Joseph and spent a few hours relaying messages to Christian and on from there to Russia.

Fast forward a year and the Ra II was on it's way – again the hams were communicating with them. My dad was out of the island so I kept up with Alan and Jill Otway on progress.

I made sure to be at the Pierhead to photograph their arrival

Reaching for a New World!

Thor Heyerdahl a few days later at the dry dock

The Ra II had almost the same crew from the original Ra –
this time it was –

Thor Heyerdahl -

Norway

Norman Baker -

United States

Yuri A. Senkevich -

Russia

Carlo Mauri -

Italy

Santiago Genoves -

Mexico

Kei Ohara -

Japan

Madani Ait Ouhanni

Morocco

Click to View Photos "On Board Ra II After Arrival"

Bajan Things posts - https://www.bajanthings.com/the-ra-expeditions-thor-heyerdahl/

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/windsor-pilot-89-killed-in-crash-had-just-a-huge-sense-of-adventure,525556

http://scf-group.com/en/about/history/ship_naming/item1486.html

Page [tcb_pagination_current_page] of [tcb_pagination_total_pages]