Frymburk, South Bohemia, Aug 7 (CTK) – Czech seafarer Josef Bohac wants to be the first in the world to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a wooden raft that he is testing on the Lipno reservoir, south Bohemia, these days, he has told CTK.
The vessel is made of 16 spruce round logs of one cubic metre each.
Bohac says he believes that he and his crew could sail from Europe to America next year.
“So far we have tried to sail with an engine. We are yet to make the sails,” he told CTK.
The raft has no shortcomings and it seems to be a reliable vessel, he said.
Bohac said he would like to cross the Atlantic without an engine. The raft should use only sails driven by wind. However, it must be fitted with an engine for the manipulation in harbours where it is banned to use only sails, he explained.
His expedition should start in Portugal from where the raft will cover 9000 kilometres.
So far all rafts sailing on the Atlantic have been made of balsa tree tree, which is light. Bohac will be the first to use spruce tree.
Bohac is choosing a four-member crew now. He must also gain money for the trip, but he was not able to say the exact sum. However, the costs of transporting the raft alone to Portugal are put at some 400,000 crowns.
Bohac considers his voyage across the Atlantic both a sport performance and partially the expression of his “philosophy of life.”
“I am sailing on a various vessels. Life at sea means everything to me,” Bohac told CTK.
