75-year-old French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin, who single-handedly tried to row across the Atlantic Ocean, was found dead at sea near the Azores on Saturday. His team of supporters has announced this via Facebook, AFP reports.
Savin, who crossed the ocean in a large barrel in 2019, had set out from Portugal on January 1 in his cabin rowboat, L’Audacieux (“the brave”). On Thursday, he had sent out two distress signals. After that nothing more was heard from him. He was found dead in the cabin of the boat, which floated upside down.
“Unfortunately, the ocean was stronger than our friend this time,” said the support team in a statement on Facebook, where his journey was followed. The Portuguese Coast Guard found the eight-meter boat Friday; a diver found Savin’s body on Saturday. What exactly happened is unknown.
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Heavy waves and strong wind
Soon after his departure from Sagres, Portugal, Savin faced setbacks, including high winds that forced him to adjust his route. On Wednesday, he reported “heavy waves and strong winds,” though adding that he was “not in danger.”
In 2019 Savin, from Arès in France, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a self-built, large barrel. That journey took more than four months. Savin, a former military paratrooper who celebrated his 75th birthday at sea on January 14, hoped his adventure would become “the blanket of the Atlantic” and “make fun of old age.”