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Former policeman Ben Hooper, 38, left Senegal on Nov. 13 in a
bid to swim 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to Brazil. He said he was
inspired by explorers like Ranulph Fiennes, who crossed the
Antarctic on foot.
Friends and former crew members said the bid was foolhardy and
Hooper quickly fell far behind schedule as he encountered sharks
in choppy waters and suffered from jellyfish stings and
insufficient rations.
Hooper said damage from a storm to his support vessel, a
catamaran called Big Blue, had forced him to postpone the trip
after swimming 87 miles in 33 days. At that pace, the crossing
would have taken more than two years.
"We have NOT failed; we have achieved and gained the knowledge
to succeed in the future," Hooper said in a statement, adding
that he and his team would sail to Natal in Brazil by the
shortest route possible.
Before setting out, Hooper vowed that if his mission failed, he
would try again "as long as I have at least one leg and one
arm".
(Reporting By Sophia Shadid; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by
Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Ed Osmond)
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