Phil Buck, 36, from Ashfield, Massachusetts, will captain an eight-strong crew departing from Arica, Chile, on Monday.

The first port of call will be Easter Island, 5.630km (3,500m) to the west, a journey expected to take up to three months to complete.

"The expedition's overall objective is to support the theory that it was possible for ancient civilisations to cross huge ocean expanses in reed ships, and that the vessels could have been a key factor in human migration and the spread of civilisation," Mr Buck said.

Sun god

In 2002, the crew will sail from Easter Island to Cairns, Australia, then to Egypt, Florida and Polynesia at two-yearly intervals.

Click for a map of the route

The construction team, made up of two families of Bolivian Aymara Indians, will build a new boat for each leg of the journey.

The 16.5m (55-foot), 16-ton boat - named Viracocha after the traditional Andean god of the sun - was fashioned from 1.5 million reeds of totora plant which grow near the construction site in Bolivia

International crew

The crew includes Mr Buck's Chilean brother-in-law, Marco Rodriguez, and Erik Katari, whose family built the boat.

They will navigate by stars and sea currents, but have electronic equipment as a backup. A doctor will be on call through an e-mail connection and a satellite telephone.

Corporate and private sponsors have put up $100,000 to cover the cost of the expedition.

Kitin Munoz, a Spanish adventurer, failed in similar attempts in 1998 and 1999, when his reed boats Mata Rangi and Mata Rangi II fell apart at sea.

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