French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin was found dead in the cabin of his overturned boat off the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores on Saturday, some three weeks after setting off to cross the Atlantic by rowing, his support team said.

The 75-year-old, a former paratrooper, had said he was making the bid "to laugh at old age."

Unfavorable winds

He had set off from the southern tip of mainland Portugal on January 1, but contact with him was lost overnight Thursday to Friday, when he activated two distress beacons and said he was "in great difficulty," his team said.

Unfavorable wind conditions had forced the adventurer to extend his intended trip to the Caribbean by 900 kilometers (550 miles). He was traveling in a rowing boat that was 8 meters (26 foot) long and 1.7 meters wide.

He set off with hundreds of kilograms of supplies, including two desalinators, a heater, a spear gun for fishing and freeze-dried food.

'Everyone needs to embrace their passion'

Savin had celebrated his 75th birthday on board the boat last Friday — marking the day with foie gras, champagne and his mandolin.

In 2018-2019, he undertook an Atlantic crossing alone in a custom-built barrel. The trip took 127 days and was followed by thousands on Facebook.

Upon his return, he wrote a book detailing his adventure, describing how he watched fish and dolphins through a porthole on the floor of his barrel.

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he offered advice on how to cope with solitude in lockdown and how to avoid cabin fever.

"Everyone needs to embrace their passion... Start drawing, learn to play the harmonica, if it doesn't bother the neighbours," he said.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.

tj/rs (AFP, EFE)