A Florida man who tried to reach Bermuda in an inflatable bubble has been rescued by the US coast guard, the military branch said on Monday.
Coast guard petty officer Mark Barney said that long-distance runner Reza Baluchi was picked up Sunday off Florida and his “hydropod” was being towed to shore.
Barney says the man set out from Pompano beach on Saturday despite having received a 15 April letter from the coast guard warning him not to depart. The coast guard said it had reviewed Baluchi’s plan and determined it to be “manifestly unsafe”.
#BreakingNews: Adventure runner's voyage ends after he violated a USCG order not to embark on his seagoing journey. pic.twitter.com/FxNUEawySO
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) April 24, 2016
In the letter, the coast guard had ordered Baluchi not to attempt his journey, noting possible “criminal penalties of up to seven years’ confinement and a $40,000 fine”.
Coast guard captain AJ Gould told Baluchi that he was particularly concerned by the absence of a support boat, which Gould said “shows a lack of planning and concern for your life”.
This is the second time Baluchi failed to reach Bermuda by bubble. “In November 2014, you attempted this voyage unsuccessfully and ultimately placed an enormous financial burden on taxpayers to conduct a rescue,” Gould wrote to him. “Additionally, it placed coast guard personnel at risk.
