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There is nothing whatsoever incompatible between ancient peoples migrating across the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age, and migrations in earlier times. Simply because modes of travel would have been primitive does not mean travel was impossible, either on foot or by primitive rafts or boats. It doesn't take much to make a large, if crude raft.

I'll concede that point, although even a 27 mile journey by raft in open ocean, assuming you could direct it in a straight path, is no small challenge. I would pay money to see anyone attempt it today, using nothing that wasn't available 40,000 years ago.

There has been some reports that mitochondrial evidence (something way beyond my expertise) suggests a south Pacific influx into South America about 15,000 years ago. That seems inherently implausible to me because it suggests an ocean passage far greater than a Bering Sea transit would be, and I don't think ocean currents could explain it.

Forgive my grammar errors there, please. I can botch it when I take excessive time to finish a sentence I’m working on.

I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it is what it is.

There has been some reports that mitochondrial evidence (something way beyond my expertise) suggests a south Pacific influx into South America about 15,000 years ago. That seems inherently implausible to me because it suggests an ocean passage far greater than a Bering Sea transit would be, and I don't think ocean currents could explain it.

The species Equus evolved in the Americas, died out here around 8,000-10,000 years ago. Obviously, early Equines did not need boats to cross over into Asia, but they did. They were eventually domesticated by humans around 5000 years ago. They came full circle when they arrived back in the Americas with Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Human beings have always been creative, insightful and knowledgeable about how to manipulate the natural world to their benefit.

I would pay money to see anyone attempt it today, using nothing that wasn't available 40,000 years ago.

Haven't you ever heard of Thor Heyerdahl? In 1947, in order to test his theory about how Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands may have been populated, Heyerdahl built a replica of an aboriginal balsa raft (named the "Kon-Tiki") using only materials available to ancient Peruvians. Heyerdahl and five companions left Callio, Peru and crossed 4300 miles in 101 days to reach the Raroia atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Despite skepticisim, the seaworthiness of the aboriginal raft was thus proven and showed that the ancient Peruvians could have reached Polynesia in this manner.