That’s right, folks. This is a TRUE STORY.
One of the craziest science experiments of the 1970’s (which is saying something!) was The Acali Experiment of 1973 conducted by Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genoves. It was also known simply as Sex Raft.
On May 12, 1973, five men (including Santiago) and 6 women embarked on a 101-day long sex starved adventure across the Atlantic Ocean.
They departed from Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands, heading for Mexico.
Funding for the mission was sponsored by the Mexican government!
The raft was built in North Shields, Tyne & Ware, UK.
It was an unpowered (that’s right, no motor!) steel boat measuring 40 x 24 feet. There was only one 14 x 14 sleeping area. The Sex Raft was steered only by a single rudder.
The Purpose of this experiment?
To find out how much humans can endure when they’re forced into a situation they can’t escape.
Santiago specifically picked sexually attractive 25-40 year olds who were married and ethnically diverse.
Some of the passengers included:
female Swedish sea captain, Angolan priest, Japanese photographer, Alaskan waitress, and others.
Algerian librarian Rachida Lievre was said to be the sexiest shipmate.
Santiago also purposely eliminated privacy on the ship, in hopes of inciting conflict. Santiago wanted to study human relationships, conflict, violence, sexuality and madness. One thing he didn’t plan on was murderous scheming.
After 3 months at sea, heading into hurricane season, the crew planned a Murder on the Orient Express style death for Santiago where all would participate in his demise.
Luckily, before they could act, the boat was towed to port at Cozumel Island, Mexico on August 20, 1973, ending one of the most bizarre social experiments of all-time.
Check out the new Swedish documentary ‘Flotten‘ by Marcus Lindeen about the Sex Raft.
