A man who paddled out to set a world record of completing a 2,400-mile kayak trip in 64 days had to be rescued after just 70 miles at sea. Cyril Derreumaux, 44, got caught in a violent storm and had to call it quits after only five days.

Derreumaux departed Sausalito in the San Francisco Bay on May 31 with the goal of arriving in Honolulu by August 3 in order to set a Guinness World Record. However, two days into his journey, rough winds and strong waves struck and Derreumaux had to anchor his kayak and shelter in his cabin. The waves crashed on top of his kayak, causing him to get seasick.

‘I paddled non stop for 7 hours and am super tired,’ said Derreumaux in an update. ‘Still a bit weak from yesterday’s sea sickness so can’t eat much. Forcing myself. Wind is increasing tonight and stronger and stronger until Saturday.’

Derreumaux was ‘violently tossed from side to side, along with all the equipment that was stored in the cabin’, he wrote on Facebook after he was rescued. He said his anchor was damaged and his ground team was no longer able to track him.

He then lost his anchor and winds were projected to reach 45 knots, making it clear that he could not continue. A Coast Guardsmen crew in a helicopter found Derreumaux and a diver was lowered to pull him out of the ocean. The rescue crew returned to San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night.

Despite making it only 60 nautical miles, Derreumaux, who moved to California from France, is determined to give it another go.

‘If it looks like I can go in the next three weeks, then I’ll do it,’ said the father-of-two. ‘But I’ll be assessing the stress I put on my family and particularly my girlfriend. It might be too much to take off again this year.’

Derreumaux’s custom-made kayak is still drifting in the Pacific Ocean.

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