THE six crew on British explorer Tim Severin's bamboo raft are dining on their first fresh fish in 12 days after leaving Tokyo for the United States.
A cable yesterday from Severin's 18-metre raft, now about a quarter of the way between Japan and Hawaii, revealed good progress but fishing problems.
''After 12 days of frustration at failing to catch any of the accompanying dorado, Trondur [a Faroes Island fisherman] made a very realistic flying fish lure and, at last, it was fresh fish for supper,'' Severin said.
Before leaving Hong Kong in May on the first leg of his voyage to show ancient Chinese mariners could have reached the US centuries before Christopher Columbus, Severin said he planned to catch fish and sea birds to supplement a rice and muesli-based diet.