“It is with great sadness that we have just learned of the death of our friend Jean-Jacques,” his support team said in a post on Facebook. “The body of Jean-Jacques was found lifeless inside the cabin of his canoe l’Audacieux (The Audacious).”
Savin had set off from southwest Portugal on January 1 and was headed toward Ponta Delgada in the Azores islands before losing contact with this team early on January 21.
He activated two distress beacons on Thursday night into Friday to indicate he was experiencing a situation of great difficulty, his team said.
Portugal’s maritime authority spotted Savin’s boat floating overturned near the Azores on Friday. A diver was able to descend under the waterline to look inside the boat’s small cabin and discovered Savin’s body inside.
“Unfortunately, this time the ocean was stronger than our friend, who loved sailing and the sea so much,” Savin’s support team said.
No further information will be released because the team does not want to give details of Savin’s death and extended their condolences to his daughter and partner.
