Aaron Carotta, an American who was attempting a round-the-world trip in a rowboat, had been wanted since May 31.
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The hope of finding Aaron Carotta seemed lost. But this American navigator wanted in an uninhabited area of the Pacific was rescued by an oil tanker on Friday June 16, announced the High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia. The end of the search had however been decided on Monday.
The adventurer had left South America for a solo world tour aboard a rowing boat, the Smiles. His distress beacon had been triggered on May 31, but his signal had not been picked up afterwards. Nine commercial or pleasure vessels had participated in the search, without success. They had been lifted, “lack of new elements” to locate the vessel.
Nearly 1,000 km from the nearest land
But on Thursday, the canoe’s distress beacon was again picked up in the area of responsibility of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC), which coordinates relief in French Polynesia.
The shipwrecked man, who was in a lifeboat, was spotted Thursday afternoon by an American plane looking for him, then rescued Friday by an oil tanker sent to meet him. Aaron Carotta was 950 km east of the Marquesas archipelago, which is part of French Polynesia. He is safe and sound.