Frenchman floats across Atlantic in giant Orange barrel and lands on Dutch Island in the Caribbean

Yeah, that’s a weird and awesome headliner, we know! Here’s the lowdown:

CNN reports that a Frenchman has landed on Dutch island of St. Eustatius last week after floating four more than four months in a wooden barrel. Jean-Jacques Savin, 71 completed a 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic in a large orange barrel, after departing off the Canary Islands on December 26.

He arrived at the small Dutch island in the Caribbean after midnight last week. The barrel, built by Savin travels at around two miles an hour and relies on the ocean current to move. Made of resin-coated plywood, it measures about 3 meters long and 2 meters wide and has a kitchen and a bed. In order to survive, he fished for food. But it wasn’t all bad! For special occasions like his birthday and New Year’s, he had wine kept away.

Inspired by Alain Bombard who in 1952 cross the Atlantic in a lifeboat living off fish and saltwater, Savin meant to prove that a man could survive such a trip.

People can track him online and he left markers throughout the journey to help international marine observatory organization JCOMMOPS study ocean currents. (CNN) He still expects to make it to Guadeloupe by boat, before going home with his barrel.

128 days floating in a barrel through the Atlantic, sounds like a remarkable achievement, right? And on top of all this, Savin faced 8 scary stormy nights, reports newsmax. And what better place to finish such a challenge than in the beautiful Dutch island of St. Eustatius? It is an extremely small island in the Caribbean that has a dormant volcano, the Quill. It has a population of over 3,000 people and around the volcano, a charming rainforest.

Dutch island of St. Eustatius /source: pixabay

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments, below!

Lara Silva
Lara Silva
Originally from Lisbon, Lara now lives as a Londener where she studies journalism. She enjoys writing about politics, news and culture. Her favorite hobbies include eating pizza, drinking portuguese beer and smashing the patriarchy.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related posts

Latest posts

Hiking in Amsterdam: top 7 places for wandelen near the city

Hiking and Amsterdam are two words that are not often paired — but that didn't stop us from trying.  Escaping to the wilderness is an...

Art in Antwerp: why this Flemish city should be your next trip from the Netherlands

Sometimes, you need a change of scenery from the classic Dutch canals. How about Antwerp's Art scene? It's only a short train ride away,...

Bombs, stabbings, and gangs: This is the Netherlands rarely seen by tourists

When you think of the Netherlands, you probably think of bikes, dikes, and windmills — but there's an entirely different side to our beautiful...

It's happening

Upcoming events

The latest Dutch news.
In your inbox.