What this entry and the source article fail to mention is that Thor Heyerdahl already made this voyage in the 60's, in a boat made out of papyrus reeds. It was named Ra, after the Egyptian sun-god. He actually made two attempts, because of a structural problem with the first Ra. Ra II completed the journey, using only ancient Egyptian technology and not synthetic piping.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl#The_boats_Ra_and_Ra_II

I think she's supposed to be sticking up her middle finger. Though it's so brief I can't really tell. It kind of looks like a bad photoshop job, too.