Death drama in the rowing boat on the Atlantic – body of 75-year-old discovered

Created: 01/23/2022, 11:52 am

He wanted to know again.

Cross the Atlantic alone in a rowboat.

The Frenchman (75) sent an emergency signal on Friday night.

Now there is sad certainty.

Bordeaux - The 75-year-old French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin died trying to cross the Atlantic alone in a rowboat.

The Portuguese coast guard first discovered Jean-Jacques Savin's sunken boat off the Azores on Friday.

Finally, on Saturday, a Coast Guard diver found Savin's body in the boat's cabin, his support team said.

The exact circumstances of the accident still have to be clarified, reports the afp news agency.

The enthusiastic triathlete and former paratrooper left the southern tip of mainland Portugal on January 1 for the Atlantic crossing.

Shortly thereafter he had to take a longer route due to unfavorable wind conditions.

In the night of Friday, contact with Savin broke off after he had sent an emergency signal.

Jean-Jacques Savin is dead: The 75-year-old was an avid triathlete and former skydiver.

© PHILIPPE LOPEZ/afp

French adventurer was already in the barrel across the Atlantic

In 2019, Savin crossed the Atlantic in a barrel in 127 days.

At the time, thousands of people followed his adventure on the online network Facebook.

This time, Savin wanted to reach the Caribbean in an eight-meter-long, five-foot-wide rowboat loaded with 300 kilograms of gear and supplies.

Savin celebrated his 75th birthday on January 14 with foie gras and champagne aboard his boat.

He described the planned crossing of the Atlantic in a rowing boat as an opportunity to "cheat old age".

His rowing boat was named "L'Audacieux", which means "The Bold".

A boat with 20 people on board disappeared off the coast of Florida in 2021.

The search on the Atlantic Ocean is initially unsuccessful.