Thor Heyerdahl proved to be highly manoeuvrable, and fish congregated between the nine balsa logs in such numbers that ancient sailors could have possibly relied on fish for hydration in the absence of other sources of fresh water. Other rafts have repeated the voyage, inspired by "Kon-Tiki". Heyerdahl's book about "" has been translated into 70 languages. The documentary film of the expedition entitled "Kon-Tiki" won an Academy Award in 1951. A dramatised version was released in 2012, also called "Kon-Tiki", and was nominated for both the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for
Thor Heyerdahl evidence suggesting contact between South America and Polynesia. The "Kon-Tiki" smashed into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotus on August 7, 1947, after a 101-day, 4,300-nautical-mile (5,000-mile or 8,000 km) journey across the Pacific Ocean. Heyerdahl had nearly drowned at least twice in childhood and did not take easily to water; he said later that there were times in each of his raft voyages when he feared for his life. "Kon-Tiki" demonstrated that it was possible for a primitive raft to sail the Pacific with relative ease and safety, especially to the west (with the trade winds). The raft