The Viracocha Expedition

In 2000 and 2003, the professional explorer, Phil Buck, led international teams across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Easter Island via two separate ancient style reed rafts. Both vessels were constructed in their entirety from only four Andean materials; totora reeds, natural fiber rope, cotton sails and wood.

No one in recorded history has been able to reach the most isolated populated island in the world aboard an any ancient style vessel of any kind. The Viracocha expeditions proved that ancient South American mariners could have been the first to discover Easter Island. Who first reached the island and carved the numerous stone monoliths (or Moai) still remains one of antiquities greatest mysteries and has baffled the scientific community for centuries.

Inspired by world-famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl before his death, Buck's plan was to support the theory that ancient South American voyagers crossed vast ocean expanses in various types of boats including the ancient style reed raft that were quite possibly the key factor of human migration and the spread of civilization. The expedition set sail from Arica, Chile and completed the voyage to Easter Island, Polynesia in 44 days in the year 2000. It was the first primitive boat of any kind to reach the island in modern times.

Kitín Muñoz, the leader of previous pacific reed boat expeditions, criticized Viracocha in the press, claiming that the use of synthetic rope in the boat construction made the experiment invalid. According to the Viracocha builders, they did use a small amount of synthetic twine, but judged that the effect on the durability of the boat was negligible.

In March 2003, a team of eight men once again led by Phil Buck, set sail from Vina del Mar, Chile aboard a completely new reed raft, the Viracocha II, in an attempt to sail 10,000 nautical miles across the entire Pacific Ocean to Cairns, Australia, via Easter Island and other islands of Polynesia. The raft was severely damaged during the launch and the team was unable to test the raft to its full potential. Even with the starboard side damage, the raft still managed to make the long traverse to Easter Island for the second time.

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