He wanted to be the dean of Atlantic Rowing: a Frenchman lying dead in his canoe

A French Septuagenarian who made a name for himself by crossing the Atlantic in a barrel in 2019, who attempted to sail again, was found dead in his canoe in the Azores on Saturday.

Jean-Jacques’ body was found lifeless inside his canoe’s cabin Bold“, A group of volunteers following the adventure of 75-year-old adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin was announced in a press release to AFP.

“The Portuguese maritime defense was discovered yesterday [vendredi] The boat unfortunately returned from the Azores. This Saturday a diver was able to go down and see the boat, ”the text states, noting that“ this time the sea was stronger than our friend, who loved navigation and the sea so much ”. The exact circumstances of the tragedy have not yet been established.

He showed no signs of surviving from Thursday night until Friday, and, according to his team, triggered “his two tragic beacons.”

During the last contacts, Jean-Jacques Savin was on the north coast of Madeira and was heading to Ponta Delcata, a small island in the Azores archipelago for repairs.

According to his daughter Manon, “everything was immediately implemented in conjunction with the French, Portuguese and American maritime rescue services.”

Shortly after leaving Socrates (southern Portugal) on the 1st^{There is} In January, the adventurer was disturbed by bad winds, stretching his initial route to 900 km and then quickly battling serious energy and communication problems.

On Wednesday, on his Facebook page, Jean-Jacques Savin noted the “strong swelling and the force of the wind” and said he was obliged to “use”. [son] Manual desalination “.” It consumes physical energy for me. Don’t worry, I’m not in danger! “He wrote.

Living in Ares, southwest of France, he traveled across the ocean in a boat and wanted to become a “teen of the Atlantic” and “a way of mocking old age”.

He celebrated his 75th birthday on January 14 on his boat with two rooms 8 m long and 1.70 m wide and a boating station.

On board, 300kg of equipment including frozen food to celebrate his birthday, heating point, a spear for fishing, an electric desalinator and another guide, his mandolin, champagne, saturnes and foie gras.

“I’m going on vacation to the open sea. I’m taking a three-month vacation,” he laughed shortly before departure.

An outstanding athlete and “adventurer at heart”, this former military parachutist, slender and muscular, spent more than four months in 2019 on a barrel-shaped boat 3m long and 2.10m in diameter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone by wind and currents.

This former private pilot and overseer of a national park in Africa joined the West Indies, hoping he would rejoin by boat.

“I go boating 8 hours a day and when it blows hard, I lock myself in,” he said before starting his voyage.