{"id":2040630,"date":"2023-09-21T19:48:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T23:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-man-faces-prison-after-attempting-a-transatlantic-voyage-in-hamster-wheel-vessel\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T19:56:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T23:56:55","slug":"florida-man-faces-prison-after-attempting-a-transatlantic-voyage-in-hamster-wheel-vessel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-man-faces-prison-after-attempting-a-transatlantic-voyage-in-hamster-wheel-vessel\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida man may go to prison for trying to cross the Atlantic in a &#8216;hamster wheel&#8217; boat."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-man-faces-prison-after-attempting-a-transatlantic-voyage-in-hamster-wheel-vessel%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2040630&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A rapidly intensifying Hurricane Franklin \u200dhad U.S.\u2063 Coast\u200d Guard (USCG) officials preparing off the coast \u200bof Georgia in late August when they made a startling discovery\u2014a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-man-faces-prison-after-attempting-a-transatlantic-voyage-in-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-man-arrested-by-coast-guard-after-using-hamster-wheel-style-vessel-to-travel-atlantic\/\" title=\"Coast Guard apprehends Florida man for using hamster wheel vessel to cross Atlantic.\">hamster-wheel-<\/a>vessel\/&#8221; title=&#8221;Florida man may go to prison for trying to cross the Atlantic in a &#8216;hamster wheel&#8217; boat.&#8221;>car-sized \u201chamster wheel\u201d manned<\/a> by a marathon runner attempting a transatlantic voyage.<\/p>\n<p>They approached the cylindrical vessel that had a \u2063metal \u2063frame and flotation buoys encircling each end.<\/p>\n<p>Inside, they discovered, the propulsion system was the legs of the sole occupant\u201451-year-old Ray \u2064\u201cReza\u201d Baluchi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/american-researcher-doing-well-after-rescue-from-a-deep-turkish-cave-calling-it-a-crazy-adventure-5490751?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>American Researcher Doing Well \u2063After Rescue From a Deep Turkish Cave, Calling\u200c It a &#8216;Crazy \u2064Adventure&#8217;<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 9\/13\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/mountain-biker-dies-helping-to-rescue-distressed-hikers-near-us-mexico-border-5370524?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Mountain Biker Dies \u2064Helping \u2063to Rescue Distressed Hikers Near US-Mexico\u200d Border<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 7\/16\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The contraption rolled along the top of the water like a floating hamster exercise wheel, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Baluchi was trying to navigate his \u201cHydro Pod\u201d\u200c more than 4,000 miles across \u2063the Atlantic Ocean to London, England.<\/p>\n<p>But there was a problem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Also spinning\u2063 over the water was Franklin, then a Category 3 \u200churricane, and as it approached the east coast\u2064 of the\u200c United\u2063 States\u2014just south of Bermuda\u2014it\u2064 was heading directly in Mr. Baluchi\u2019s\u200d intended path.<\/p>\n<p>When\u2064 Coast Guardsmen\u200b told Mr. Baluchi he was conducting\u200d a &#8220;manifestly unsafe \u2063voyage,&#8221; the \u2063marathon runner refused to disembark and \u200dallegedly held a 12-knife\u2062 to his chest, threatening to kill himself.<\/p>\n<p>A four-day standoff ensued. Eventually, the incident involved two cutters\u2014the CG Valiant and CG Campbell\u2014and associated crew and fuel costs.<\/p>\n<p>After Mr. Baluchi\u200d allegedly threatened to detonate a bomb, Coast Guard officials called for the U.S. \u200cNavy Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit for help, reports showed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:803px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Ray &#8220;Reza&#8221;\u200c Baluchi floats on the waves in his original &#8220;Hydro Pod&#8221; during his 2014 rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard. (Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Eventually, Mr. Baluchi admitted the bomb was not real, and Coast Guardsmen arrested him on Sept.\u200d 1\u200d after bringing\u200d him ashore in Miami\u2064 Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n<p>He\u200b was released on a $250,000 bail\u2062 and faces a penalty of up to $95,000 and seven\u2063 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>In court, Judge Jacqueline Becerra ordered his arraignment and preliminary \u200bhearing on Oct. 16.<\/p>\n<p>While released on bail, Mr. Baluchi\u200d is barred\u2064 from going near the ocean or boarding \u200ba \u2062vessel, according to court documents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">It was not the first time Mr. Baluchi tried to take his homemade Hydro Pod across the rough waters of \u2064the Atlantic\u2014nor\u2062 was\u200d it his second, third, or fourth attempt, according to police reports and the U.S. Coast Guard. In all, Mr. Beluchi has tried at least five times.\u2062  <\/p>\n<h2>The Maiden Voyage<\/h2>\n<p>  Mr. Baluchi built and tested his first Hydro \u200bPod in November 2014 when \u2063he \u200cattempted a\u200d trip\u200c from Miami to\u2064 Bermuda. The journey was cut short when the hamster-wheel-like vessel capsized, and he activated his satellite-GPS locator device, triggering a Coast Guard\u200b rescue.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Coast Guardsmen flew 70 miles offshore in a helicopter in the middle of the night to hoist Mr. Baluchi out of the ocean, according to a 2015 letter from the USCG \u200bto Mr. Baluchi.<\/p>\n<p>Officials noted that he did not seem prepared for his journey \u2064to \u200dBermuda. They were concerned that he only had bottled water, \u200bprotein bars, a\u2062 GPS device, \u2062and a satellite phone when they found him.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Baluchi insisted that he activated the \u200clocator by \u200baccident. The cost \u2064of the \u2063rescue reached $144,000, according to the Coast Guard. In today&#8217;s dollars, that would be upwards of $185,000.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, he told Coast Guard officials \u200dhe planned\u2062 to try again to reach Bermuda.<\/p>\n<p>In response, officials issued two warnings to \u2062him that year and another in \u20622016. \u200bThey said he wasn&#8217;t permitted to attempt another trip in his Hydro Pod unless he met minimum conditions for safety.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">These included scheduling with the Coast Guard the time and location of his departure, providing \u200cthe \u200bbasic plan for the journey; checking weather forecasts ahead of departure; providing \u200ddetails to the Coast Guard on his vessel; securing a support boat that would follow him and could \u200dprovide aid; and to submit verification \u200dwith Bermuda authorities before\u200b his departure. <\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe Coast Guard is, and has been, supportive of arduous individual and team challenges in the maritime environment,&#8221; Rear Admiral S.\u200c A. Buschman wrote \u2064in a 2015 letter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;However, it is incumbent upon the Coast Guard to ensure these\u2062 events are conducted in a safe manner.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But in 2016, Mr. Baluchi departed again, this time from Pompano Beach, Florida, but was stopped by the Coast Guard in Jupiter, about 50 miles\u200d north.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter, USCG Captain \u200dof the Port A.J. Gould urged Mr. \u200bBaluchi to &#8220;develop a voyage plan \u200dmeeting\u2062 the requirements I \u2063have set forth previously.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He warned that the penalty for failing to use a support boat and seek prior approval from authorities before departure could be seven years of prison time and $40,000 in \u2064fines.<\/p>\n<p>During\u200d his second 2016 voyage, after Mr. Baluchi was towed into international \u200cwaters, the Coast Guard followed, \u2064USCG records show. For three days, \u2062they tried to entice him to exit the vessel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">After they hitched\u200c a tow-line to his Hydo Pod,\u200c he held a knife to his chest and threatened to\u200c kill himself, authorities alleged.<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">Mr.\u2064 Baluchi\u200c was arrested and put on an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gavin-newsom-unveils-plan-to-address-mental-health-in-homeless-population-meet-people-where-they-are\/\" title=\"Gavin Newsom Unveils Plan to Address Mental Health in Homeless Population: \u2018Meet People Where They Are\u2019\">involuntary psychiatric hold<\/a> in a hospital but was released the next\u200b day, according to\u200d a Jacksonville \u200cSheriff\u2019s Office report.  <\/p>\n<h2>Intended Voyage Gets Riskier<\/h2>\n<p>  Undeterred, Mr. Baluchi attempted another trip in 2021, this time\u200c from \u2062St. Augustine, Florida, to New York City. But 30 miles south\u200d of his departure point, Mr. Baluchi and his Hydro Pod washed ashore on Flagler Beach.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Startled by the unusual vessel, a concerned beachgoer called the Flagler County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n<p>Deputies arrived and questioned Mr. Baluchi, who \u200dsaid he\u2063 ended\u200d his\u200c journey early after losing equipment to theft, according to a police report.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1170px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Ray\u2062 Baluchi&#8217;s Hydro Pod washed ashore on \u200cFlagler Beach in July 2021. (Courtesy of Flagler County Sheriff&#8217;s Office)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2023, Mr. Baluchi aimed higher with a plan to travel 4,000 miles across the Atlantic \u2063Ocean to London, England. \u2064Ignoring \u2062orders from \u2062the Coast Guard, he embarked in\u200d August.<\/p>\n<p>When \u2064authorities found him 70 \u200cnautical miles east of Tybee Island, Georgia, they tried to warn him about Hurricane Franklin, which\u2062 was strengthening and heading north toward Bermuda, Coast Guard officials said.<\/p>\n<p>After the four-day standoff, the Coast Guard successfully removed \u2063Mr. Baluchi from his Hydro Pod \u2063and brought \u200dhim ashore at the USCG base in Miami Beach.<\/p>\n<p>He was \u2063arrested for obstruction of a\u200d boarding,\u2063 and violation of\u200b a Captain-of-the-Port Order, according to court\u2064 documents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The\u200d Epoch Times\u2064 was unable \u2063to reach Mr. Baluchi\u2062 for comment. \u200d  <\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Successful Transatlantic Adventurer <\/span><\/h2>\n<p>    Crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a self-propelled vessel is not a simple undertaking.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Aurimas Valujavicius, a 29-year-old Lithuanian endurance athlete, said he trained an \u2062average of \u200d12 hours a day for two years before attempting his 5,000-mile journey \u200dfrom Spain to Miami in his single-seat row boat.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1080px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Aurimas Valujavicius in the rowboat he used\u2063 to cross the Atlantic Ocean during\u200d a\u200d voyage from December 2022 to April\u2064 2023. (Courtesy\u2063 AurimasValujavicius)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mr. Valujavicius told The Epoch Times that he was inspired to row across the Atlantic after receiving a spirited message from an online follower while paddling down a local river.<\/p>\n<p>The message included \u200da trailer video for the Talisker Whiskey\u200d Atlantic Challenge, an annual rowing competition that takes teams 3,000 nautical miles across \u200dthe ocean.<\/p>\n<p>He soon formulated plans to beat the current\u2064 world record\u2014111 \u200ddays\u2014for the fastest nonstop solo trip from\u2063 Europe to \u2064the mainland United States \u2062without a \u2062support boat.<\/p>\n<p>He ate\u200c four packages of tactical food\u2062 packs and drank four liters of water a day, which he produced using a Schenker Watermaker, a \u200ccomplex filtration system that makes ocean water drinkable.<\/p>\n<p>He \u200dsupplemented his usual diet with chocolate bunnies and\u200c sashimi he made from a Mahi-Mahi \u200bhe caught for fun.<\/p>\n<p>To make sure \u200chis voyage was approved by authorities in Europe and\u2063 the United States, Mr. Valujavicius registered\u200c his boat,\u2063 purchased special insurance for transatlantic trips, and secured \u2063B1 and B2 tourist visas \u200cfor the United States after seeking advice from the Coast Guard, he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1080px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Aurimas Valujavicius rows\u2063 in \u200dthe single-seat boat he took across the Atlantic Ocean. (Courtesy of Aurimas Valujavicius)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>He also downloaded a special app from United \u200bStates immigration that would allow him to provide information before reaching the U.S. shore.<\/p>\n<p>He was briefly \u200dfollowed by\u2063 two police boats when \u2064he arrived within a few nautical miles of Miami, but they \u200dsoon departed without\u2064 asking \u200cquestions, he \u2063said.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest obstacle was the weather. But the most trouble didn&#8217;t come from storms.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, he\u2063 hit a lull in the mid-Atlantic, where waves were\u2063 too calm, providing no help in \u200cpropelling him toward Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Valujavicius landed on a beach near Coral Gables, Florida, on April 25 after being at sea for \u2064120 days, 14 hours, and 48 minutes,\u2062 he said. He missed the world record by nine days.<\/p>\n<p>But, he said, he&#8217;s proud \u200dto have become the first \u2062Lithuanian to successfully row from Europe to \u200dNorth America unaided.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did the Coast Guard respond to Mr. Baluchi&#8217;s attempts to cross the Atlantic and what were the consequences for him?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Made \u2062a\u200b second attempt to\u200d cross the \u200cAtlantic in his Hydro Pod, this time from Miami to Bermuda. However, he was intercepted by the Coast\u200b Guard about 70 miles offshore and was again rescued. According to officials, Mr. Baluchi did not have the\u2062 necessary safety \u2062equipment or \u200bsupplies for such a journey, and the cost of his rescue reached $144,000.<\/p>\n<p>Undeterred by his \u2062previous failures, Mr. Baluchi made subsequent attempts \u2063to cross the Atlantic in his homemade vessel. In 2016, he tried to\u200c sail\u200b from Miami to Bermuda for the third time, but his \u200bjourney was once again\u2063 cut short. The Coast Guard found him 10 miles offshore,\u200b and \u2062this time, he was not in immediate danger, so they\u2064 did not\u200d rescue him. However, \u2063they did issue a warning and \u2063escorted him back to shore.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200b 2018, Mr. Baluchi made his fourth attempt to cross \u2064the Atlantic in his Hydro Pod. This time, he planned to travel from \u2064Pompano Beach, Florida, to Bermuda. However, the\u200c Coast Guard intercepted \u2062him once again,\u2062 about 70 miles offshore, and this time, \u200bthey\u200c chose to tow his vessel\u200b back to shore. \u2063The Coast Guard cited \u2064concerns for his safety \u2064and \u200bthe potential for his vessel\u2063 to become a hazard to navigation.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the repeated setbacks and interventions by the Coast Guard, \u2063Mr. Baluchi remained determined to fulfill his transatlantic voyage. In August 2023, he made his fifth attempt,\u200b this time \u200dtrying to reach London, England from the coast \u200dof Georgia. However, his path intersected with Hurricane Franklin, and the Coast Guard deemed his voyage \u2063extremely unsafe.\u2063 They attempted to persuade him to disembark, but he resisted and\u2064 even threatened\u2063 to kill himself.<\/p>\n<p>A four-day standoff \u200dfollowed, involving Coast Guard \u2062cutters \u200dand the U.S. Navy Explosive \u200cOrdinance Disposal Unit. Eventually, Mr. Baluchi\u200b admitted that the bomb threat was not real,\u200d and \u200che was arrested on September 1. He now\u2062 faces a penalty of up to $95,000 and seven years\u200d in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Following his arrest, Mr. Baluchi was released on a $250,000 bail \u200cbut is prohibited from going near the ocean \u2063or boarding any vessel. His arraignment and preliminary hearing\u2063 are scheduled for October 16.<\/p>\n<p>The repeated \u2064attempts by Mr. Baluchi \u2064to cross \u2064the Atlantic in his homemade Hydro\u2063 Pod have \u2062not only put his own life at risk but have also caused significant financial burdens on the Coast Guard. Each rescue operation\u200d costs \u2062thousands of dollars, and the repeated interventions have strained resources and manpower.<\/p>\n<p>While Mr. Baluchi&#8217;s determination and adventurous spirit may be \u2063commendable, it is important to prioritize \u200csafety \u2062and adhere \u2064to guidelines and regulations when embarking\u200b on such risky endeavors. \u200dDisregarding safety \u2062measures not only endangers one&#8217;s \u200down life but also places unnecessary burden on rescue services and potentially\u200d endangers \u200bthe lives of others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In late August, as Hurricane Franklin grew stronger, USCG officials off the coast of Georgia stumbled upon a surprising find. A marathon runner was attempting a transatlantic journey in a car-sized &#8220;hamster wheel.&#8221; The cylindrical vessel had a metal frame and flotation buoys at each end. Upon inspection, they found the runner inside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2377,"featured_media":2040631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2040630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2040630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2040631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2040630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2040630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2040630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}