You don’t need to be a genius to understand that trying to run across the Caribbean in an inflatable plastic bubble called the “Hydro Pod” is a really bad plan.
That’s exactly what the United States Coast Guard told Reza Baluchi three days ago, though, when he informed them of his intentions.
Said Captain Todd Coggeshall in a satellite phone call:
I have grave concerns regarding your safety. You’re going to have a very hard time punching through the Gulf Stream to make Bermuda….You understand by your refusal to terminate this voyage you’re putting yourself in grave danger at the high sea? If you run into trouble, there’s no guarantee that we are going to be able to get to you in time, or even be able to find you.
Reza’s response? “I’ve been practicing for two years for this.”
(Audio of the phone call isn’t embeddable, but you can check it out here.)
That was on Wednesday. Yesterday, the Coast Guard had to come to Baluchi’s rescue when he sent out a distress signal from 70 miles off the coast of St. Augustine.
He made it 300 miles north–not bad, but not the 1,000 miles south he needed to travel in order to get to the Bahamas.
Which, coincidentally, is exactly what he’d been observed asking passing ships about all week. Baluchi spent most of his time in the self-designed Hydro Pod going in the wrong direction, and asking passing ships which way the Bahamas were.
According to Baluchi’s web site, he’s an adventurer who pulls stunts involving great physical daring–like running through 195 countries–for assorted charities and causes.
Before he can continue with that, though, he’ll have to make it out of the hospital. He’s currently being treated for exhaustion.
(Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)
