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We're Sinking, but Not Tonight: The Kon-Tiki 2 Expedition
Defying the forces of nature, two balsawood rafts departed Peru in 2015 to conquer the to sail to Easter Island and back. The Kon-Tiki 2 expedition leader, Norwegian explorer Torgeir Higraff, and bestselling author Randy Green deliver a pulse-pounding narrative in We’re Sinking, but Not Tonight, chronicling fourteen adventurers' grueling ordeal — storms, hunger, clashing egos, and raft-threatening disasters at sea. Witness raw drama unfold into a tale of cooperation and unbreakable spirit. Dive into this heroic saga and sail the South Pacific from your armchair now!
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 23, 2025
We’re Sinking But Not Tonight is the retelling of the 2015 Kon-Tiki2 Expedition which sailed two traditionally made balsa rafts from Peru to Easter Island, and halfway back.
Inspired by similar traditional boats and stories from history of maritime travellers, Norwegian explorer Torgeir Higraff put together his plan to attempt a round trip, while using modern scientific equipment to document marine life and sea pollution.
The narrative dots back and forth between the storms which lashed down and threatened to sink the rafts, the initial ideas, the search for sponsorship, building of the crafts and the halcyon days of the high speed outward bound trip.
Two boats, two crews, battling with and against nature.
The parts about the pollution of the seas were very interesting, yet sad to read about and I can only imagine that the situation is worse now. I also enjoyed the descriptions of life on board the rafts and the fish that they encountered. While the last few chapters that featured the crew’s final weeks and days were particularly harrowing to read about as they reached the end.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys sailing, adventure stories, the ocean and armchair travel experiences.
Inspired by similar traditional boats and stories from history of maritime travellers, Norwegian explorer Torgeir Higraff put together his plan to attempt a round trip, while using modern scientific equipment to document marine life and sea pollution.
The narrative dots back and forth between the storms which lashed down and threatened to sink the rafts, the initial ideas, the search for sponsorship, building of the crafts and the halcyon days of the high speed outward bound trip.
Two boats, two crews, battling with and against nature.
The parts about the pollution of the seas were very interesting, yet sad to read about and I can only imagine that the situation is worse now. I also enjoyed the descriptions of life on board the rafts and the fish that they encountered. While the last few chapters that featured the crew’s final weeks and days were particularly harrowing to read about as they reached the end.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys sailing, adventure stories, the ocean and armchair travel experiences.
November 17, 2025
I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (author, check here if you are interested in getting your book reviewed) and thank her and the author for this opportunity.
This book is a non-fiction account of a fascinating expedition that took place between 2015 and 2016, the brainchild of Torgeir Higraff, a Norwegian explorer who had long been fascinated by the original Kon-Tiki expedition, organised by Thor Heyerdahl, another Norwegian, in 1947: Heyerdahl was trying to prove his own theories about people’s migration between South America and Polynesia, and he managed to sail, in a raft, from Peru to Easter Island. Although many of his theories have been disproved since (and are very much of their time, and somewhat problematic when looked at from a modern perspective), the feat of sailing across the ocean in a raft, using primitive methods, was impressive, and resulted in a book, a film, and the raft became an exhibit in a museum.
Higraff wanted to go further and do a round trip. Due to the weather, currents, and seafaring conditions, the second part of the journey was expected to be much more complicated than the first leg, and that is the part of the adventure the book focuses mostly on, although not exclusively.
The book starts at a dangerous moment on the way back to Peru, and the description of the conditions these seven men are living in grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning. We also learn straight away where the title of the book comes from. As we read on, we hear about the process of planning, the search for sponsors and materials, the actual building of the two rafts (as it was decided that two rafts would be more likely to succeed, as they could support each other, undertake more experiments and collect more data), the Tupac Yupanki (the one we learn more about, as Higraff was travelling on it), and the Rahiti, with a female captain and several women in the crew. We also get to hear some stories about the first part of the journey, and we discover that much of the crew changed from one leg of the voyage to the other. The story is not told linearly, although we get an overall chronological account of the second part of the voyage.
I was fascinated by the description of how different the societies and the regimes that developed in the two rafts were, with the Tupac being much more relaxed, with few rules and fairly spontaneous, and the Rahiti adhering to an almost military routine. We don’t hear directly from the Rahiti, but there are some temporary exchanges of crew members, so we get some indications of how things worked in the other raft as well.
I am no expert in sailing, and I can’t say I understood all the terminology or the nautical details in the book, although it is evident that sailing on a raft is quite different from sailing aboard a ship. Higraff, who had experience of travelling by raft from previous expeditions, explains they had learned more about the techniques used by the traditional seafaring people from Peru, and they were also carrying different equipment from that the original Kon-Tiki had access to (GPS, Wi-Fi, access to internet and social media…). Not all had changed for the better, though. They were measuring plastics in the sea, which wasn’t a feature in times of Heyerdahl, and they soon realised that finding fish was no longer as easy as it had been in the late 1940s.
There are great descriptions of life at sea, of the hardships they had to endure, of the foods they cooked, of how they slept (or not), and it did feel as if one was there, although I will try and find pictures and footage of the expedition, to see if my imagination matches what it must have been like. (I only had access to an e-book ARC copy, so I am not sure if there might be some extra material in the paperback copy.)
Some of the information and anecdotes appear more than once because of the way it is told. Although it might feel slightly repetitive at times, it also gives readers a sense of how differently time passes in a raft, and how much time crew members dedicate to ruminate about how they got there and what will happen next, more so for the person who is ultimately responsible for the expedition and for deciding if the whole operation can carry on or should be called off.
The ending is very far from Hollywood, as the author says, but it is fitting, and it leaves things quite open to those who might feel as inspired by this expedition as Higraff was by the original Kon-tiki.
I recommend reading the section of acknowledgments, particularly those of Higraff, which I found particularly moving. This is especially true when he explains why it took him so long to write the book and mentions how he coped with what he was told was a traumatic experience. It must have taken a lot of courage to relive the experience and his feelings about it, and that enhances the importance of this book.
An incredible adventure that teaches us as much about the people on the expedition and the human spirit as it does about the ancient civilizations that crossed the seas long ago.
Fascinating.
This book is a non-fiction account of a fascinating expedition that took place between 2015 and 2016, the brainchild of Torgeir Higraff, a Norwegian explorer who had long been fascinated by the original Kon-Tiki expedition, organised by Thor Heyerdahl, another Norwegian, in 1947: Heyerdahl was trying to prove his own theories about people’s migration between South America and Polynesia, and he managed to sail, in a raft, from Peru to Easter Island. Although many of his theories have been disproved since (and are very much of their time, and somewhat problematic when looked at from a modern perspective), the feat of sailing across the ocean in a raft, using primitive methods, was impressive, and resulted in a book, a film, and the raft became an exhibit in a museum.
Higraff wanted to go further and do a round trip. Due to the weather, currents, and seafaring conditions, the second part of the journey was expected to be much more complicated than the first leg, and that is the part of the adventure the book focuses mostly on, although not exclusively.
The book starts at a dangerous moment on the way back to Peru, and the description of the conditions these seven men are living in grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning. We also learn straight away where the title of the book comes from. As we read on, we hear about the process of planning, the search for sponsors and materials, the actual building of the two rafts (as it was decided that two rafts would be more likely to succeed, as they could support each other, undertake more experiments and collect more data), the Tupac Yupanki (the one we learn more about, as Higraff was travelling on it), and the Rahiti, with a female captain and several women in the crew. We also get to hear some stories about the first part of the journey, and we discover that much of the crew changed from one leg of the voyage to the other. The story is not told linearly, although we get an overall chronological account of the second part of the voyage.
I was fascinated by the description of how different the societies and the regimes that developed in the two rafts were, with the Tupac being much more relaxed, with few rules and fairly spontaneous, and the Rahiti adhering to an almost military routine. We don’t hear directly from the Rahiti, but there are some temporary exchanges of crew members, so we get some indications of how things worked in the other raft as well.
I am no expert in sailing, and I can’t say I understood all the terminology or the nautical details in the book, although it is evident that sailing on a raft is quite different from sailing aboard a ship. Higraff, who had experience of travelling by raft from previous expeditions, explains they had learned more about the techniques used by the traditional seafaring people from Peru, and they were also carrying different equipment from that the original Kon-Tiki had access to (GPS, Wi-Fi, access to internet and social media…). Not all had changed for the better, though. They were measuring plastics in the sea, which wasn’t a feature in times of Heyerdahl, and they soon realised that finding fish was no longer as easy as it had been in the late 1940s.
There are great descriptions of life at sea, of the hardships they had to endure, of the foods they cooked, of how they slept (or not), and it did feel as if one was there, although I will try and find pictures and footage of the expedition, to see if my imagination matches what it must have been like. (I only had access to an e-book ARC copy, so I am not sure if there might be some extra material in the paperback copy.)
Some of the information and anecdotes appear more than once because of the way it is told. Although it might feel slightly repetitive at times, it also gives readers a sense of how differently time passes in a raft, and how much time crew members dedicate to ruminate about how they got there and what will happen next, more so for the person who is ultimately responsible for the expedition and for deciding if the whole operation can carry on or should be called off.
The ending is very far from Hollywood, as the author says, but it is fitting, and it leaves things quite open to those who might feel as inspired by this expedition as Higraff was by the original Kon-tiki.
I recommend reading the section of acknowledgments, particularly those of Higraff, which I found particularly moving. This is especially true when he explains why it took him so long to write the book and mentions how he coped with what he was told was a traumatic experience. It must have taken a lot of courage to relive the experience and his feelings about it, and that enhances the importance of this book.
An incredible adventure that teaches us as much about the people on the expedition and the human spirit as it does about the ancient civilizations that crossed the seas long ago.
Fascinating.
November 18, 2025
As a teenager I consumed books about the expeditions that yielded firsts for humanity. Everest, Annapurna, Kon Tiki, solo Atlantic crossings.
We're Sinking but Not Tonight is the latest in a long line of such sagas to come my way. One problem is that over the last 70 years all the available big stuff has been done. Everest is being eroded by the thousands of pairs of boots that clamber to the summit annually. Men set foot on the moon 55 years ago and plans are well advanced for the first manned expedition to Mars.
When it comes to Earthbound challenges the would be explorer is hard pressed to find something that hasn't been done. The original Kon Tiki proved that it is possible for a primitive raft to cross the Pacific ocean from South America to Polynesia. Is it possible to return? Such a journey would be against the very winds and currents that made the West bound journey possible.
Torgeir Higraff decided to find out. His voyage took place in the Southern hemisphere summer of 2015/16. It has taken this long to produce his account of the attempt because he needed time to recover from the mental strain involved and the depression induced by ultimate failure.
The idea was to complete the round trip. There would be two rafts, each with a crew of 7. Higraff, with the assistance of USA Today best selling author Randy Green, relates not just the voyage but the enormous amount of networking and negotiation required to assemble the crews, obtain the materials, design and construct the rafts, source provisions sufficient to sustain both crews during several months at sea, gain the support of maritime authorities in both Peru and Chile as well as the co-operation of the indigenous population of the destination islands.
The original Kon Tiki expedition relied heavily on catching fish for sustenance. Seventy years later the fish stocks of the southern ocean have become so depleted that it was no longer possible to rely on this as a source of food. They therefore faced hunger, especially when storms threatened to wash their supplies overboard.
Another significant difference in the ocean in the twenty first century is the presence of micro plastics. The expedition included a number of scientific elements, one of which involved collecting and analysing such detritus.
The return journey brought the greatest hardship. That year's El Niňo disrupted the usual pattern of winds so that they found themselves driven around in circles, their Eastward progress reduced to a few nautical miles per day. After ten weeks they were still 1,000 km from the coast of Chile. As expedition leader, Higraff had to make the decision to press the 'Bring-Us-Home-Button', a prearranged call to the Chilean navy for assistance. By then the sail of one of the rafts had crashed down, narrowly missing a crew member. The balsa logs that formed the body of the raft had absorbed so much water that they were awash.
Reading the book is to share in the camaraderie and the discomfort experienced by the crew, the heat and humidity, the gales and mountainous seas, the hunger as dwindling food stores were rationed and the ecstasy accompanying the rare occasion when a day's fishing was successful.
Higraff talks about the different organisation of the two rafts. The one, captained by a woman, where there was a place for everything and everything in its place – you might refer to it as 'shipshape'. By contrast, under the Russian captain of the raft of which Higraff was a crew member, utensils, tools, spare clothing were left where they fell until needed again.
It is perhaps as well that depression prevented Higraff from telling his story until now. A decade gives time to impart some objectivity to the account and that makes it utterly compelling. For me We're Sinking but Not Tonight is well worth five stars. Thanks, I am sure, to Randy Green's influence.
I received a free copy in return for this review for Rosie Amber's website.
We're Sinking but Not Tonight is the latest in a long line of such sagas to come my way. One problem is that over the last 70 years all the available big stuff has been done. Everest is being eroded by the thousands of pairs of boots that clamber to the summit annually. Men set foot on the moon 55 years ago and plans are well advanced for the first manned expedition to Mars.
When it comes to Earthbound challenges the would be explorer is hard pressed to find something that hasn't been done. The original Kon Tiki proved that it is possible for a primitive raft to cross the Pacific ocean from South America to Polynesia. Is it possible to return? Such a journey would be against the very winds and currents that made the West bound journey possible.
Torgeir Higraff decided to find out. His voyage took place in the Southern hemisphere summer of 2015/16. It has taken this long to produce his account of the attempt because he needed time to recover from the mental strain involved and the depression induced by ultimate failure.
The idea was to complete the round trip. There would be two rafts, each with a crew of 7. Higraff, with the assistance of USA Today best selling author Randy Green, relates not just the voyage but the enormous amount of networking and negotiation required to assemble the crews, obtain the materials, design and construct the rafts, source provisions sufficient to sustain both crews during several months at sea, gain the support of maritime authorities in both Peru and Chile as well as the co-operation of the indigenous population of the destination islands.
The original Kon Tiki expedition relied heavily on catching fish for sustenance. Seventy years later the fish stocks of the southern ocean have become so depleted that it was no longer possible to rely on this as a source of food. They therefore faced hunger, especially when storms threatened to wash their supplies overboard.
Another significant difference in the ocean in the twenty first century is the presence of micro plastics. The expedition included a number of scientific elements, one of which involved collecting and analysing such detritus.
The return journey brought the greatest hardship. That year's El Niňo disrupted the usual pattern of winds so that they found themselves driven around in circles, their Eastward progress reduced to a few nautical miles per day. After ten weeks they were still 1,000 km from the coast of Chile. As expedition leader, Higraff had to make the decision to press the 'Bring-Us-Home-Button', a prearranged call to the Chilean navy for assistance. By then the sail of one of the rafts had crashed down, narrowly missing a crew member. The balsa logs that formed the body of the raft had absorbed so much water that they were awash.
Reading the book is to share in the camaraderie and the discomfort experienced by the crew, the heat and humidity, the gales and mountainous seas, the hunger as dwindling food stores were rationed and the ecstasy accompanying the rare occasion when a day's fishing was successful.
Higraff talks about the different organisation of the two rafts. The one, captained by a woman, where there was a place for everything and everything in its place – you might refer to it as 'shipshape'. By contrast, under the Russian captain of the raft of which Higraff was a crew member, utensils, tools, spare clothing were left where they fell until needed again.
It is perhaps as well that depression prevented Higraff from telling his story until now. A decade gives time to impart some objectivity to the account and that makes it utterly compelling. For me We're Sinking but Not Tonight is well worth five stars. Thanks, I am sure, to Randy Green's influence.
I received a free copy in return for this review for Rosie Amber's website.
October 27, 2025
Very few of us are bold enough to defy the forces of nature, to leave the cozy armchair, and to dare to travel in the open ocean on the primitive wooden raft. But Torgeir Higraff and his crew once got brave enough to repeat the expedition of Thor Heyerdahl and go even further - to return from Easter Island.
This great real-life story is full of adventure, nature exploration, and historical events. And at the same time, it has a lot of drama, social and psychological dilemmas, struggle, and survival.
I love the title We're Sinking, but Not Tonight - it gives a feeling of the catastrophe on the horizon but banners the spirit of daring and resilience.
A very compelling narration makes this book a page-turner, which is a very rare feeling when you read memoirs. Unique open talk about all the issues the team experienced during the Kon-Tiki 2 expedition. When I read it, I felt I was on that raft with them.
A must-read for everyone who loves travel, adventure, nature, and survival stories.
This great real-life story is full of adventure, nature exploration, and historical events. And at the same time, it has a lot of drama, social and psychological dilemmas, struggle, and survival.
I love the title We're Sinking, but Not Tonight - it gives a feeling of the catastrophe on the horizon but banners the spirit of daring and resilience.
A very compelling narration makes this book a page-turner, which is a very rare feeling when you read memoirs. Unique open talk about all the issues the team experienced during the Kon-Tiki 2 expedition. When I read it, I felt I was on that raft with them.
A must-read for everyone who loves travel, adventure, nature, and survival stories.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews