French Adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin Dies at 75, Attempted to Row Across the Atlantic Ocean by Himself

French adventurer, Jean-Jacques Savin died while trying to row across the Atlantic Ocean by himself.

He was 75 years old.

Savin’s team confirmed his death in a statement made on Facebook, “It is with great sadness that we have just learned of the death of our friend Jean-Jacques,” his support team said in a post on Facebook. “The body of Jean-Jacques was found lifeless inside the cabin of his canoe l’Audacieux (The Audacious).”

“Unfortunately, this time the ocean was stronger than our friend, who loved sailing and the sea so much,” Savin’s team wrote.

The last contact Savin had with his team was on Jan. 21, when he sent out two distress beacons, which alerted them that he was in trouble. He had departed for the trip on Jan. 1 from southwest Portugal and was headed towards Ponta Delgada in the Azores islands.

On Friday, Portugal’s maritime authority found Savin’s boat overturned in the water close to Azores. A diver went in to inspect the boat and found Savin’s body inside the small cabin.

Savin leaves behind a daughter and a partner.

He had taken a 2,930-mile trek across the Atlantic in an orange barrel, finishing the four-month journey in May 2019 when he arrived at St. Eustatius, a Dutch Caribbean island before his last adventure.