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This 72-Year-Old Frenchman Just Crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a Giant Orange Barrel

posted by Fnord666 on Friday May 10 2019, @07:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the orange-barrels-every-where-I-see dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Popular Mechanics:

His barrel was made of resin-coated plywood, built by two French barrel makers. The measurements worked out to 10 feet long and 6.8 feet across. Savin hoped his new home would prove sturdy enough to handle orca attacks.

The Frenchman got an assist from JCOMMOPS, an international marine observatory, which provided him with markers to drop off at various parts of the sea to help study ocean currents.

Though his voyage lasted 128 days, it was mostly unremarkable. He posted updates on Facebook and told a French news site near the end of his journey that he had had just eight difficult nights in total, including a rough sea that forced him to leave the barrel and navigate difficult waters from outside his cozy confines. He also rarely encountered other humans.

That's one way to get away from it all.

See also: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/barrel-atlantic-crossing-arrival-scli-intl/index.html

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Rivenaleem on Friday May 10 2019, @09:36AM (4 children)

    by Rivenaleem (3400) on Friday May 10 2019, @09:36AM (#841773)

    It's an older comic, but it checks out.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 10 2019, @11:50AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 10 2019, @11:50AM (#841790)

    what does age have to do with anything?!
    do you make that comment everytime a bricklayer uses a 3/4/5 triangle to get a right angle?

    sorry. apparently I'm upset about something.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 10 2019, @02:10PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 10 2019, @02:10PM (#841833)

      Ah, the whooshing sound as a Star Wars reference joke goes flying overhead...

    • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday May 10 2019, @02:13PM (1 child)

      by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 10 2019, @02:13PM (#841837) Journal

      No, but it is surely an even greater achievement for a 72 year old than, say, from a physically fit ex-military person who seem to be the ones who often carry out such stunts.

      Acknowledging someone's age does not have to be a criticism, it can also be intended to amplify someone's achievement. The heading was taken directly from the source article - but you will have seen that when you read it.

      • (Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Friday May 10 2019, @04:29PM

        by Osamabobama (5842) on Friday May 10 2019, @04:29PM (#841904)

        What if the 72 year old and the physically fit ex-military person are actually the same person?

        But, perhaps more to the point, it was the age of the linked comic that was mentioned, not the person in the barrel.

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