Man who planned to run to Bermuda in a floating bubble thwarted by Coast Guard again

“This was an inherently unsafe voyage attempt."
 By 
Cailey Rizzo
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The man who intended to run from Florida to Bermuda, Haiti, Cuba and Puerto Rico in a custom-made floating contraption has been foiled by the Coast Guard for a second time.

The Coast Guard tracked down 44-year-old Reza Baluchi on his voyage and released a stream of tweets during the rescue mission on Sunday.


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Baluchi's plan had been to stay at sea for five months and raise money for "children in need."



Despite his Indiegogo campaign raising only $37 (he had set a goal of $850,000), Baluchi departed on his mission this weekend. His intended route was 3,500 miles around the Bermuda triangle, with stops in Haiti, Cuba and Puerto Rico. He planned to "sprinkle ashes from ground zero in each ocean."

But off the coast of Florida, Baluchi's plans were thwarted by the Coast Guard.

Although Baluchi's journey was supposed to include an accompanying safety boat, there was none in sight when Fort Lauderdale Coast Guard spotted the bubble seven miles off the coast of Jupiter, Florida.

“This was an inherently unsafe voyage attempt that put the lives of Mr. Baluchi and other mariners in danger,” Capt. Austin Gould said in a statement.

Earlier in the month, the Coast Guard forbade Belushi's departure in a letter, writing "your vessels and the conditions under which you are attempting to complete your voyage to Bermuda is unsafe."

On Sunday, Baluchi "voluntarily ended" his mission and was towed back to land.

Baluchi's plans had previously been foiled in 2014, when Coast Guard rescued him after less than a week on the sea.

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Cailey Rizzo

Cailey studied journalism at SUNY Purchase and french cinema & literature at Paris IV Sorbonne. She is a cynical optimist and Talking Heads karaoke enthusiast. Drop her a line @misscaileyanne

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