--- title: A Man is Crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a Barrel description: A Frenchman has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a bright orange barrel canonical: https://time.com/5489127/man-cross-atlantic-barrel/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-12-27T16:00:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:56:38.437Z og:title: A 71-Year-Old French Man Is Making His Way Across the Atlantic Ocean in a Barrel og:description: A Frenchman has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a bright orange barrel og:url: https://time.com/5489127/man-cross-atlantic-barrel/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3e796ce34ee4d31/69894254b21a9c66f54ffcc3/jean-jacques-savin-atlantic-barrel.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: FRANCE-ADVENTURE-SAILING og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A 71-Year-Old French Man Is Making His Way Across the Atlantic Ocean in a Barrel twitter:description: A Frenchman has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a bright orange barrel twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3e796ce34ee4d31/69894254b21a9c66f54ffcc3/jean-jacques-savin-atlantic-barrel.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A 71-Year-Old French Man Is Making His Way Across the Atlantic Ocean in a Barrel by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Dec 27, 2018 4:00 PM UTC  Jean-Jacques Savin, a former paratrooper, 71, works on the construction of a ship made from a barrel on Nov. 15, 2018 at the shipyard in Ares, southwestern France. Jean-Jacques Savin, a former paratrooper, 71, works on the construction of a ship made from a barrel on Nov. 15, 2018 at the shipyard in Ares, southwestern France.GEORGES GOBET—AFP/Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Dec 27, 2018 4:00 PM UTC A Frenchman has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a bright orange barrel. Jean-Jacques Savin, 71, embarked on his journey from the Canary Islands on Wednesday with the aim of reaching the Caribbean by March’s end, [AFP reports](https://www.france24.com/en/20181226-frenchman-sets-sail-across-atlantic-barrel). He hopes to make it to the Caribbean by relying on the ocean’s currents alone to transport his barrel. “The weather’s great,” Savin told AFP after he set off into the Atlantic. He said he was traveling at “two or three kilometers an hour.” An orange barrel-shaped capsule Savin built himself is carrying the adventurer across the ocean. AFP reports the vessel is built from plywood coated with resin to resist waves and possible orca whale attacks. Savin has equipped the inside of the barrel with a kitchen, sleeping bunk and storage space. To celebrate New Year’s Eve, Savin has stored on board a block of foie gras and a bottle of Sauternes white wine. For his 72nd birthday on Jan. 14, Savin has tucked away a bottle of red Saint-Emilion, according to AFP. Savin told AFP he hopes he can rely on ocean currents to take him to the Caribbean naturally, without using oars or sails. He said he would ideally land in Barbados, “although I’d really like it to be a French island like Martinique or Guadeloupe.” A crowdfunding campaign and various sponsorships are funding Savin’s trip and people can keep track of the journey on a [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/pg/BOUTESA/posts/?ref=page%5Finternal). 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