French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin sent worrying final message before his death

A French adventurer who hoped to row around the world and “laugh at old age” was tragically found dead just hours after an eerie social media post.

Jean-Jacques Savin in his boat. Picture: Philippe Lopez/AFP

A French adventurer who hoped to row solo around the globe was found dead just hours after he issued an eerie final message.

Jean-Jacques Savin, 75, was trying to row across the Atlantic and had set off from mainland Portugal’s southern tip on January 1.

But just a couple of weeks into his daring trip, Savin found himself in trouble in the Azores, an archipelago off the coast of Portugal and was later found dead inside his boat.

Before his death, Savin set off two distress beacons overnight on Thursday and sent a handful of desperate messages to his support team.

Jean-Jacques Savin in his rowboat. Picture: Philippe Lopez/AFP

His team on Saturday, local time, said they were “very worried”.

“We haven’t heard from him since 00:34 yesterday (Friday) morning,” they said, adding that he had activated “two distress beacons, telling us he was ‘in great difficulty’.”

His daughter took to Facebook to say a search operation “was immediately set in motion in co-ordination with the French, Portuguese and US sea rescue services”.

Savin was last heard from north of Madeira, Portuguese islands off the northwest coast of Africa, on his way to Ponta Delgada in the Azores.

Shortly after leaving on January 1, unfavourable wind conditions had forced the adventurer to extend his trip by 900km.

On Wednesday last week, he had reported “strong swell and... wind” on Facebook, adding that he had been forced to switch from using an electric water desalinator to a backup one operated by hand.

“It’s costing me physical energy,” he wrote. But “be assured I am not in danger”.

Jean-Jacques Savin, a former paratrooper, had hoped to cross the Atlantic. Picture: Philippe Lopez/AFP

Jean-Jacques Savin sent out a distress call late last week. Picture: Philippe Lopez / AFP

Three days later, a member from Savin’s support team said divers from the Portuguese navy had found him “lifeless inside the cabin”.

The Portuguese navy today confirmed Savin’s body was yet to be recovered from his boat.

“The search ended at the end of the day yesterday (Saturday) without it being possible to find the victim,” the navy said.

A member of Savin’s support team later told AFP “there has been some confusion that we are currently trying to clear up”.

“We are waiting for information from the Portuguese authorities,” the team added.

The navy’s statement contradicted Saturday’s message from the team that was backing Savin in his trans-Atlantic bid.

They said the Portuguese coastguard had located his overturned boat off the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores on Friday and that on Saturday, a diver had found Savin’s body inside the cabin.

A photo taken by the Portuguese Navy showed Savin’s overturned boat. Picture: Portuguese Navy/AFP

Savin, an avid triathlete and former paratrooper, had been hoping to reach the Caribbean in his rowing boat, which was eight metres long and 1.7m wide, with a rowing station at its centre.

The 75-year-old told reporters he was attempting the row “to laugh at old age”.

He had set off with 300kg of equipment, including freeze-dried food, a spear gun to fish and a heater, as well as the two desalinators.

To celebrate his birthday, he had also brought along his mandolin, foie gras and champagne.

“I’m off on holiday to the open sea,” he had said before leaving.

“I will row eight hours a day and when the wind blows too hard, I’ll close myself in.”

He was looking forward to an extra safety measure that he did not have during his last barrel crossing: a tracker to make him visible to the radars of passing cargo ships.

- With AFP