I was troubled until I read of his previous four solo crossings in a sailboat. Four! The man has made his bones with the sea. It’s hard to imagine such a sailor giving up all input, but it is hard to imagine what a seaman can endure.
It is hard to imagine it succeeding—just think of what a drifting container could do to it. C’est la guerre. It is striking that he plans on enjoying fois gras and wine in there.
As a keelboat sailor, I wish the article had said how many pounds of concrete ballast keep a barrel upright, and how is it secured to the craft? I love his barrel-maker sponsors, and should it break up, plywood isn’t as toxic as some materials, and there’s no engine oil to spill.
How delightfully quixotic in a world with few adventures that can be done virtually. It’s (which, if not a French saying, ought to be).
Still, there seems an element of the coffin to his craft. I wish him bon voyage, and should it come to that, fond adieu.
8
Like I always say when hearing about somebody doing something pointless and stupid: if you're not hurting anybody and it gives you some sort of satisfaction, then go ahead and knock yourself out. I only insist that he have some sort of escrow account or insurance that will pay the costs of his rescue, but honestly, I hope he makes it.
4
Personally I would not have a set bed , as you will feel each wave and might get very uncomfy and actually be thrown around like a rag doll
I would make a hammock style bed and the mounting hooks be free swivel , as the barrel gets rocked around, the hammock just "rides out" by swiveling with the waves
10
Dude. Save the wine corks. They could come in handy.
12
I wish him a successful voyage, but why? I am always annoyed when these adventures end with a multimillion dollar search and rescue effort. Certainly the scientific benefit, if any, can be ascertained without a human passenger.
It is a sign of the times that my next reaction was consistent with so many comments about who should be in the barrel on the way back. The color is correct.
Having mocked the effort, my NYC spirit, I will say as an active contemporary I will follow this adventure to hopefully its successful conclusion. Good luck.
2
There are loonies all over the world. Reading this was a great relief after being inundated with the crazy antics of Trump all week. I wish him well. And if he doesn't make it, he won't know it. I am 71,and understand.
8
It seems you can always rely on the French to undertake some adventure in a truly nutty fashion. I certainly hope he’s not prone to sea sickness, and that he has an adequate solution to the daily requirements of personal hygiene.
2
@Coastal Existentialist....
I imagine that four transatlantic trips in a sailboat would have cured M. Savin of any seasicknesss--or at least taught him to cope with it, if not conquer it. The four journeys would also have forced him to deal with the personal hygiene aspect.
7
@CKent
I would assume so too, but he’s going to bounce around a whole lot more in that thing than he would on a sailboat. I expect he’ll get rolled once or twice also. There are better ways to cross the Atlantic IMHO.
1
@Coastal Existentialist....
No argument there.
I love the universal concern for the WC in the comments! To be expected I guess in a culture where a family of four requires 4.5 bathrooms. Come on, relief is relief: 21st c low-flush commode, chamber pot, or porthole.
4
I recently took up sailing. I find it challenging enough on a large, rather enclosed stretch of river. I watch Atlantic crossing videos with a mixture of admiration and horror. I guess the good thing about this adventure is there's not much, after the planning, that you can do to screw it up; you either drift where you thought you would, or you don't.
One minor peeve though; I wouild have thought the NYTimes could translate "table des cartes" properly into "map table" rather than "card table", especially when you can see the map and navigational gear.
6
Why so many derisory comments? Why smirk at someone who kicks up his heels and says “what the heck?” I love this man! He’s clearly had an adventurous life, and isn’t ready to hang it all up. Perhaps that beer company should feature *him* in the “most interesting guy in the world” commercials instead of some cliche`d nincompoop hanging around with women half his age.
Also: I want to hear more about the rubber dinghy plankton eater, while we’re at it!
35
This is the best story ever. At least in recent memory and so needed. The comments are worth the read! Good luck Monsieur!
3
I have a candidate to return the barrel to France once arrived, that fellow residing at 1 Pennsylvania Avenue!
5
@Jake I wonder who resides at 1 Pennsylvania Avenue? Nancy Pelosi???
1
@Jake
It's the guy who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. who needs the return cruise.
2
And then.......what?
graduating motto from Wellfleet school system;"Row don't drift". circa.1895
4
Being a practical man, what about personal hygiene?
Somehow a trip across the ocean in a barrel is a little nutty.
I dare not think of his "loo."
1
I love this guy. I really, really hope he makes it.
In the maelstrom of contemporary America, I need this.
But, NYT, I am a bit disappointed in you: "A St. Emilion red"? "a Sauterne?"
Please, colleagues: the cru, the chateau, the year, and the size. I would hazard a gamble that the Sauterne will hold up better than the St Emilion. We shall see, I hope.
6
@John Rudoff
Agreed. When a wine love picks three vintages for such a voyage, details are warranted.
5
Hopefully he is not prone to seasickness.
I hope he remembers to bring a corkscrew.
8
This man shows a remarkable sense of adventure and enthusiasm. I very much like his spirit, and wish more in the world had the same -- not burdened with fear or cynicism. Bon voyage, Monsieur! To the Caribbean!
9
To Mr. Savin:
Might it be possible for you to stop on the Potomac and pick up Donald Trump for the trip? We could use some peace and quiet here across the pond.
20
Obviously he could just send the barrel, the human is just cargo.
2
what could go wrong.....
4
The photo caption states Savin has food for a month, while the article states the journey is expected to take 3 months. If so, how will Savin sustain himself after his first month adrift?
7
I hope he does not find himself in a storm with loose concrete ballest.
having crossed the Atlantic twice (once on a 90ft and again on a 140ft sailing yacht) all I can say is your MAD, mad I tell ya!!!
3
I find this barrel trip as fascinating as the series a while back about the family that spent a winter off the grid in Maine. The column (I think it was the Green blog?) became difficult to find on the website and then disappeared entirely. I always wondered whether they made it or if they bailed and returned to creature comforts. Any who, I wish this gentleman were providing updates on his journey as he goes along. Maybe that's not possible. I wish him the best.
PS - The comments are hysterical.
8
If my kids ever make any snide comments about what I do with myself now that I’m retired, I can point to this guy and tell them that their mother is fine, thank you.
12
I guess his plan is to drink wine the entire trip, and be completely drunk for the duration.
No mention of bathroom facilities. Lots of luck with that.
4
Mr. Savin is a genius, a remarkable genius, whose achievement, if he achieves it, will be one the greatest achievements the history of human acheivement. I wish him luck.
4
What would Larry Eisenberg have written?
6
@Famdoc
Monsieur Savin he goes to sea
Aboard an orange atrocity
Like all the rest
He’s heading west
On Poseidon’s sole authority
(Apologies, please, to Dr. Eisenberg)
20
I have a lot of questions after reading the article. First, how will he feed himself when month's supply runs out? I assume he is bringing a filtration system so that he can desalinate sea water, but it would be nice if the article had confirmed that detail. If he'll be posting to Facebook regularly, how will he generate electricity? How does he bathe? And not to be gross, but does he just poop into the ocean? How does he clean up afterward? Not a lot of room in that barrel for a 3-month supply of toilet paper.
13
website states he has 3 months of freeze dried food on board.
1
Rudy, good questions all, but as far as my experience goes with the many French and other Europeans, going unbathed is not a problem.
4
It would have been cheaper and more impressive to fasten weather balloons to a lawn chair and fly across, borne by the winds.
10
@Greg Shenaut Danny Deckchair?
I guess retirement got kinda boring.
13
I'm sea sick just thinking about this. Weeks in boat with no vision of the horizon? It doesn't sound like fun to me, but to each his own.
I hope that thing is seaworthy. Plywood is not, typically, the best boat-building material.
4
@Justin
I believe our PT boats such as the one Lt. JG John F. Kennedy captained during World War II were made of plywood.
3
About as meaningful as that guy who just walked across the Antarctic "alone". I hope his barrel has a head. Bon Voyage!
2
“crossing during which man isn’t captain of his ship, but a passenger of the ocean.”
In a barrel. I'm both seasick and claustrophobic at the thought of it. Good luck to him.
4
I can only imagine how he will bathe and take care of, um, bodily functions, if you know what I mean. Count me out.
no mention of the bathroom facilities... i hope the barrel isn't locked closed for the whole journey.
bon voyage.
Did he use Remy Martin to caulk the barrel. I hope he makes it. It should be a barrel of fun. Bon Voyage.
13
The Columbus highway, from the Canary Islands to the new world..
1
Incredible.
A message in a bottle thrown overboard or by sea coast by a teenager or whoever - took just another leap of faith.
But other than information - does he really need very precise navigation system - since he cannot exactly "sail" this barrel on a chosen path.
But as a man soon to approach 70 - gives me something to think about doing stunt.
Finally, he should have included at least one bottle of Cognac for a real good birthday.
1
So so profoundly stupid. What a waste of time and energy. Certainly the press should shut up and help us deal with reality, not with somebody who has clearly lost their mind.
10
@Susan Anderson
Reality is perception. For a few minutes, the thought of Monsieur Savin’s “bob” across the Atlantic is my reality - it’s a veritable barrel of monkeys (just couldn’t help myself).
4
@Susan Anderson: Actually, given our reality of an unmoored President, I prefer to start my day reading articles like this. The world is a better place for adventurers, even if their adventures might seem frivolous to us.
22
@Susan Anderson
Actually this is the kind of news I enjoy reading these days, as realty is so dismal. Bon Voyage!
11
This could also be seen as a last bon voyage of a life - which many cultures have done. Altho Savin's careful planning seems to put that concept to rest.
Many of us plan for our last days, whether in nursing homes or hospitals tied to tubes and having whatever financial resources drained by the healthcare industrial complex. What better way to thwart their profiteering ways than to just push out to sea.
24
@ripwit Escaping reality with stories like this is part of reality.
3
"A wine lover, he is carrying an amphora of wine from near Bordeaux. Another bottle remained in France, and experts will compare the taste of the two after Mr. Savin’s return."
I love the French.
62
@M. Grove
Of course, if I were embarking on this voyage, after three days alone at sea, there wouldn't be anything left for the wine experts to compare later on.
My main concern about all this is that from what I can see in the video, that barrel doesn't look as though it was built to a confidence-inspiring standard. It's got a clunky, backyard weekend DIY doghouse appearance. The thing doesn't scream "seaworthy"; instead, it whispers "soap box derby racer".
6
@Mortiser
Or a wine barrel..lol!
4
I recall from reading Steven Callahan's thrilling memoir, "Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea" that he floated about the same way...from the Canaries to the Caribbean...not intentionally, though! Best of luck to M. Savin!
22
Will he repay the costs for his rescue at sea ( with or without rescue insurance ) or will taxpayers have to foot the bill on this future disaster?
Happy New Year !
7
@William will he be paid if he succeeds and doesnt need rescue? his journey will teach search and rescue people an awful lot about how to perform their services better even if they don't have to rescue him.
3
Well, as usual--two thoughts:
(1) Remember the old Mother Goose rhyme?
"Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl. . . .
. . .and then, in a remarkable instance of what they used to call (no offense) "black humor", the piece concludes:
"If the bowl had been stronger,
My tale had been longer."
Gotham--an imaginary city populated by idiots. No such place, New York Times! no such place! And who "the three wise men were" I have no idea. Dollars to donuts, however, no one ever heard from them again.
The sea--a pretty unforgiving place. None too fond of PEOPLE.
Even "wise men" from Gotham.
(2) Seriously, read the "Memoirs" of French composer, Hector Berlioz. He describes traveling across Russia in a an enclosed sleigh.
You would imagine, he tells us, the sleigh--well-warmed from within--gliding soundlessly over miles and miles of snow.
Oh no! No indeed!
It was--HORRIBLE You are bounced around within an inch of your life. Ravines--rocks--tree roots--.
. .plus the unbearable cold. Nothing warms a Russian winter.
Well--I don't expect the Atlantic will be quite THAT cold.
But smooth--gentle--equable?
No. I don't expect that EITHER.
I bow to Monsieur Savin's expertise--I have never, even once, crossed the Atlantic in a boat. (Though I have FLOWN over it several times--not the same thing, of course.)
But it is WINTER.
There are STORMS.
But I expect Monsieur Savin has considered all these things. And so--
--BON VOYAGE!
14
Does anyone remember the gentleman who crossed the Atlantic from West to East on, essentially, lashed together garbage? I remember his hilarious quote afterwards: "First man to cross the Atlantic on a scrap raft. They can't take that away from me."
14
@Jmb Yes. That man was Dave Perlman who for years of summers had earned a living as a street performer on the sidewalk in front of Provincetown, MA's Town Hall along with his family, and were collectively known as the Flying Neutrinos. He assembled a large raft-shack from on top of chunks of boat dock flotation foam, and they lived on it in the harbor. It was found to be seaworthy by the Coast Guard. Perlman sailed it to New York Harbor, moored it off 72nd Street, and finally sailed to Finland. the raft was christened "Town Hall".
20
@Jmb
I believe you mean - Poppa Neutrino, born William David Pearlman, (October 15, 1933, Fresno, California[ – January 23, 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana) was a musician, raft builder and "free spirit" who lived his life outside expected norms. He has been called a modern primitive, a nomad, a permanent dropout, raftbuilder and musician.
5
bonne chance, voyageur intrépide!
37
“crossing during which man isn’t captain of his ship, but a passenger of the ocean.”
I like this guy and wish him luck.
97
I hope that at least once a day he will play the polka classic that should be his official song for the journey, "Roll Out the Barrel"
20
Thank you for letting us know about this great adventure. I imagine that during his voyage, Mssr. Savin will engage in some games of Solitaire, perhaps with a soupçon of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru in hand. My friend Antoine and I are wondering if he may do that at the map table, as indicated in the video voice over, or at the card table as shown in the translated subtitle. Of course, in a transatlantic barrel, it would have to be dual purpose at a minimum. In any case, best wishes for fair winds and following seas!
18
My immediate reactions areall over the place but:
Well, it is a lot less ambitious than walking across Antarctica.
Why do I get the feeling that this could become a fad? The "I could do that!" factor is high.
Now I'll have that Police song "Message In A Bottle" going in my head for the rest of the day.
He's no Annie Edson Taylor.
Hey that's bigger than some Manhattan apartments!
Gee that looks like fun.
11
Bon Voyage, Monsieur Passenger!
6
It would be much more exciting if he were racing another floating barrel.
48
Bobbing around in the Atlantic Ocean for 3 months - why does he only have 1 month of food? - sounds wonderful. Cute idea that he will bring back wine for a taste test. Plywood? Oh.
17
He’s got very good credentials for solo ocean voyage. I just hope that the engineering of this thing is good enough. Is landfall in a month pretty much guaranteed, given no chance of steering to an island?
2
Captain of his own barrel sans the laughs.
2
The caption under the photo says Mr. Savin has food for a month, but the article says he expects the trip will take three months. Will he be resupplied in route?
Details aside, Mr. Savin has captured my imagination. Bon chance!
14
I am in my 50's and I want to be Jean-Jacques Savin when I grow up....how refreshing that this older man has the courage and stamina to attempt such an adventure. Bringing so many treats along with him shows that his priorities are in check and his refusal to sacrifice simple pleasures even in uncomfortable circumstances is hilarious.....I wish him the very best and will follow his journey.
78
This is the kind of story that I love to see — an innovative approach to a dangerous journey. I wonder how long it’s predicted to take and how fast he could be bailed out if something were to happen.
11
This represents the fine line between a death wish as performance, and the irrepressible, near adolescent thirst for high adventure that is in the heart of us all (but buried by the mundane duties and exigencies of daily living).
Sadly, would not be surprised if a bookmaker in Europe is already taking bets regarding his longevity on this earth.
25
Fine for him if he puts up enough money (I don't think he has), in case his plan fails which it probably will and American or intl. tax payers will have to pay the bill to bail him out of the water.
10
@Paul So what? Vessels of all sizes and shapes have run into extreme circumstances and the crew were rescued. We have always been a seafaring nation and, as such, we have always recognized the need to assit those in distress at sea. No question of funding, no question of why they were there. The sea is brutal and we are all humbled before it.
62
@Paul
Yeah...that would be terrible if the USA had to spend a few thousand dollars to save him. But maybe we could make Mexico pay for it.
54
@Paul and the value of the information that he's gather on behalf of so many organizations that are behind his journey? If he succeeds will he be paid for that? And even if he doesnt succeed, is the tax money not worth the information he will have gathered up the to point of his rescue?
4
Non, non, non. Sauternes and Beaujolais for long river voyages. Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir for unassisted ocean crossings. Quelle whatever.
92
@crowdancer
Or several gallons of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, a kilo or two of weed and some rolling papers. Waterproof matches, for sure. If you're determined to waste time, stay wasted.
26
@Glen
Hashish is much easier to keep dry and you can pack a lot more of it into a confined space. A friend of mine once sent a sample of Boone's Farm to a chemist friend of his for analysis and got back a note that said, "Your horse has kidney trouble." Mais chacun a son goute.
15
@crowdancer
yes, i didn't understand the bit about the experts waiting at home to taste the wine he took with him... seems it will be gone.
Which raises another question the charming article does not bother to address... ou est le WC?
8
I know nothing about the construction of ocean-going vessels, but have often wondered why people didn’t construct lifeboats as fully-enclosed orbs. Instead we trust our survival to open-topped boats which are subject to being up-ended or turned over.
15
@Madeline Conant Most lifeboats (and indeed life rafts) of modern cargo and passenger ships are indeed enclosed. The lifeboats of old were indeed open and exposed, but that time has long passed.
30
Indeed.
How very French. Best of luck to him, although it feels rather scary and unlikely to end well. At least he has the wine and that spirit of adventure.
40