Hesselberg had navigational skills, but no one in the group could sail, and they had even less idea how to steer a balsawood raft. Such knowledge had been lost for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, Heyerdahl had faith that the crew would master the raft along the way, and that the easterly winds and the Humboldt Current would in the end carry the Kon-Tiki to Polynesia. Leading experts in anthropology and seamanship considered it highly unlikely that the raft would reach its destination. Some even warned that it would disintegrate within the first two weeks and that the expedition was pure suicide.