Frenchman attempting to cross Atlantic in a 'barrel'

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A 71-year-old French man is attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a motor-free capsule he dubbed a "barrel."

Jean-Jacques Savin, a former military paratrooper, set out Wednesday from El Hierro in the Canary Islands in a barrel-shaped capsule he is planning to use to float across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean using only wind and current.

Savin's website describes his quest as "a crossing where the man would not be captain of his boat, but a passenger of the ocean."

Savin said he expects to spend the next two to three months floating across the ocean in the 10-foot-wide, 7-foot-long capsule, which is balanced with a weighted keel and is equipped with a GPS tablet and a stove for the adventurer to cook his meals.

"Thanks to the modern means of communication, I will be able to indicate my position and give various information to the media throughout my journey," Savin's website states.