85 YEAR OLD CROSSED ATALANTIC ON PIPES

Former ‘Tomorrow’s World’ Presenter Anthony Smith has fulfilled an ambition of a lifetime and crossed the Atlantic aboard a raft made entirely of plumbing pipes. It took the 85 year old 66 days to complete the 2,800mile voyage from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean on a vessel built out of 12 metre lengths of water and gas pipes and powered by a 40ft mast and 400sq ft sail.
The ‘An-Tiki’ crew consisted of Mr Smith, David Hildred, Andrew Bainbridge, and John Russell all of whom wanted to prove that the elderly are ‘capable of embarking on adventures some consider dangerous.’ The raft was constructed using four water supply pipes and 14 cross pipes, seven of which stored the crew's fresh water supply.
Proud Grandfather Mr Smith said, 'Some people say it was mad. But it wasn't mad. What else do you do when you get on in years?.. How many people do you know who have rafted across the Atlantic? The word mutiny was only spoken about two or three times a day.”
The journey which was designed to raise awareness about the environment and raise cash for water charity WaterAid was supposed to end in the Bahamas but due to strong winds and currents they were diverted to the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten.

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