Heyerdahl and a small team went to Peru, where they constructed a balsa wood raft out of balsa logs and other native materials in an indigenous style as recorded in illustrations by Spanish conquistadores. This trip began on April 28, 1947. Accompanied by five companions, Heyerdahl sailed it for 101 days over 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947. The only modern equipment they had was a radio and watches.