A Florida man has been arrested after attempting to “run to London” across the Atlantic Ocean in a floatation device resembling a hamster wheel.
Reza Baluchi, 44, was intercepted by the US Coast Guard on August 26, 110 kilometers (70 miles) off the coast of Tybee Island, Georgia. According to officials, the man was asked to provide his vessel registration, which he said was aboard but he was unable to locate it.
The crew asked Baluchi to disembark, noting in an affidavit that “based on the condition of the vessel – which was afloat as a result of wiring and buoys – USCG officers determined Baluchi was conducting a manifestly unsafe voyage.”
The man refused to leave his homemade vessel for three days, allegedly threatening that he had a bomb on board that he would use if they attempted to board. Eventually, he left the vessel, but is now facing federal charges of obstructing a boarding, and violating a captain of the port order.
This is far from the first time Baluchi has attempted an inadvisable voyage in the floating wheel. In several other attempts, he has been rescued by the coast guard. In 2014, an attempted trip to Bermuda was cut short when he became disorientated and had to ask fishermen for directions. The Coast Guard warned him not to proceed with the trip, but he continued on and eventually activated his locator beacon about 130 nautical kilometers (70 nautical miles) off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida. Which, while impressive, doesn’t scream “You should cross the Atlantic now”.
“I’ll never give up my dream,” told Fox 35, after being towed back to shore during another voyage. “They stop me four or five times but I never give up.”
“My goal is to not only raise money for homeless people, raise money for the coast guard, raise money for the police department, raise money for the fire department. They are in public service, they do it for safety and they help other people.”
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