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74-year-old rower to attempt Atlantic world record fuelled by Champagne

05 January 2022 By Christian Smith

An adventurer has embarked on a quest to become the oldest person to row across the Atlantic Ocean, and plans to celebrate his 75th birthday mid-ocean with a bottle of Champagne and foie gras.

Yes, while many of us would make do with a nice meal out with friends or perhaps a ‘do at the village hall, French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin has altogether more dramatic plans for his 75th birthday.

The 74-year-old left Sagres began his quest after he rowed away from Sagres in Portugal on Saturday. He is anticipating an epic three month journey that should culminate at Martinique, an island in the French Caribbean.

Among his 300kg of supplies is Champagne, foie gras and a bottle of Sauternes from his homeland, southwest France.

Savin noted that, when he cracks the Champagne open on his birthday he “will have to open very carefully because it will have been shaken”. Quite.

Savin is a former French paratrooper who two years ago rose to prominence after drifting across the Atlantic in a barrel, The Times reports.

Jean-Jacques Savin, 74, started crossing the Atlantic in a canoe pic.twitter.com/y7EzYi4nmN

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 2, 2022

In a Facebook update on his current status this time round, Savin wrote that he had rowed for eight hours on day one of his expedition, and for eight and a half hours on day two, covering some 100km.

“I’m worn out,” he wrote.

“[For] food, I need to get organised because I’ve not got much appetite for the moment,” he added.

Before he set sail on this latest quest, Savin said of the decision to undertake the feat, “I’m taking a holiday on the open sea.

“I’m looking for freedom. I’ve always had these desires to break away.”

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