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Katherine C. Pearson, Editor, and a Member of the Law Professor Blogs Network on LexBlog.com

Dude!

April 7, 2011

A grandfather from London and his three-man crew have successfully crossed the Atlantic on a raft made of pipes after 66 days at sea.  Anthony Smith, 85, wanted to complete the 2,800-mile (4,596km) voyage to highlight the fact a billion people worldwide live without clean water.  The former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter hopes to have raised £50,000 for the charity WaterAid.  They set sail from the Canary Islands and reached the Caribbean on Wednesday.  Mr Smith recruited the team of “mature and intrepid gentlemen” – aged between 56 and 61 – by placing an advert in the Daily Telegraph.  It read: “Fancy rafting across the Atlantic? Famous traveller requires 3 crew.  “Must be OAP. Serious adventurers only.”

Anthony Smith, David Hildred, Andrew Bainbridge, John Russell Anthony Smith, David Hildred, Andrew Bainbridge, John Russell on board An-Tiki

The 85-year-old was a science correspondent and presenter on the BBC programme, which was axed in 2003 after 40 years.

Read more at the BBC.