Confinement tips from French barrel sailor

Jean-Jacques Savin, 73, a former paratrooper, spent the last spring confined in a barrel for 127 days on the Atlantic.
Jean-Jacques Savin, 73, a former paratrooper, spent the last spring confined in a barrel for 127 days on the Atlantic.
Image: AFP/ GEORGES GOBET

 Frenchman Jean-Jacques Savin, 73, made a splash last year by crossing the Atlantic alone in a custom-built barrel, a 127-day trip.

The former paratrooper has revealed his tactics for fending off cabin fever after France issued strict stay-at-home orders this week to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

“You need to tire yourself out physically, not mentally, and walk as much as you can. Above all, don't zone out in front of the television at night and then sleep until noon,” he said.

“I wrote my journal, I read a lot, I exercised ... I adapted to the solitude ... I also knew that it was just for a while.” — AFP

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