75-year-old Frenchman missing, trying to cross the Atlantic alone.

Jean-Jacques Savin, a 75-year-old adventurer from France who attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone, disappeared after sending a distress signal last week, reports the Washington Post.

According to the information provided by the publication, last Friday the Portuguese coast guard found Savin's capsized boat, which was specially built for the trip, near the Azores.

Early Sunday morning, Savin's team posted a statement on Facebook that he had been found dead in the boat.  But later on Sunday, the Portuguese Navy stated that the body had not been found. According to his team, Savin activated emergency beacons from Thursday night to Friday morning.  Manon Savin, the adventurer's daughter, said that the beacons signaled that an emergency had occurred, and French, Portuguese, and American officials were immediately alerted.

Portuguese authorities launched a search and rescue operation late Thursday evening, according to a statement from the Portuguese Navy.  Their efforts were joined by eleven commercial ships, three Portuguese aircraft, and a Portuguese navy vessel. The crew of the first ship that spotted the vessel said they also saw a person, but when they approached, they did not find Savin, the Navy said.

One of the commercial ships found a watertight bag with identification documents of the missing person. The search was called off late Saturday evening.  Authorities informed the ships about the possibility of finding the missing person.

Savin sailed from Portugal on January 1 to embark on what he called his “last sea trial.”  The journey was expected to take about 100 days.  He celebrated his 75th birthday on January 14.

Previously, Savin crossed the Atlantic in 2019, covering 2,930 miles in a bright orange boat resembling a barrel.  Onboard the boat, he celebrated his 72nd birthday.  He also crossed the Atlantic on a sailboat, climbed Mont Blanc, and swam across the Arcachon Bay in France four times.

Had his current journey ended successfully, Savin would have become the oldest person to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone.  That title currently belongs to Graham Walters, a 72-year-old adventurer from the United Kingdom.