Man arrested trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel style vessel
A man from Florida has been arrested after trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a vessel resembling a hamster wheel.
The US Coast Guard cutter Valiant intercepted 44-year-old Reza Baluchi about 70 miles (110km) off Tybee Island, Georgia on 26 August 2023.
When questioned, he said he was heading for London but refused to leave his homemade vessel.
During a three day stand off with the Coast Guard, Baluchi reportedly threatened to blow himself up. He later confirmed he didn’t have any explosives onboard and, on 1 September, disembarked the vessel but now faces federal charges.
‘US Coast Guard Seventh District crews terminated the manifestly unsafe voyage of Mr Reza Baluchi and rescued him from his makeshift hydro-pod vessel,’ the Coast Guard said in a statement.
‘Coast Guard boarding team members embarked Mr Baluchi aboard a Coast Guard cutter for basic medical treatment, shelter, food, and water before transferring him to law enforcement authorities ashore in Miami. The Coast Guard is working with the US Attorney’s Office to pursue federal charges against Mr Reza Baluchi for his alleged criminal conduct on the high seas.’
This is not the fist time Iranian-born Baluchi has got into trouble while attempting a voyage in a makeshift contraption. Court documents state that he has attempted voyages in similar style vessels in 2014 (near St Augustine), 2016 (off the coast of Jupiter, near Palm Beach in Florida) and 2021, where he was trying to get from Florida to New York but washed ashore after just 25 miles. All of these attempts ended with Coast Guard intervention.
This morning, the #FCSO responded to a call about a vessel washing ashore in the Hammock area.
— Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (@FlaglerSheriff) July 24, 2021
Thank you to the concerned citizens who reported this. We are happy to announce that the occupant of the vessel is safe with no injuries! #SeeSomethingSaySomething pic.twitter.com/zlenQd1tX7
The ill-fated adventurer and marathon runner’s website says he wants ‘to run through 198 recognised countries and paddle a Hydro Pad across the ocean showing the world that anything is possible if only you believe’.
Main image courtesy of Flagler County Sheriff’s Office/Twitter.
