To make the voyage even more risky, Baluchi took off on his ‘run’ just as a major hurricane was moving in across the sea. When confronted, officials said he refused to step off the vessel and threatened to kill himself. He also claimed that he had a bomb on board, according to court papers.

“Based on the condition of the vessel – which was afloat as a result of wiring and buoys – US Coast Guard officers determined Baluchi was conducting a manifestly unsafe voyage.”

He is now facing federal charges of obstruction of a boarding, and violation of a Captain of the Port order.

This morning, the #FCSO responded to a call about a vessel washing ashore in the Hammock area.

Thank you to the concerned citizens who reported this. We are happy to announce that the occupant of the vessel is safe with no injuries! #SeeSomethingSaySomething pic.twitter.com/zlenQd1tX7

— Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (@FlaglerSheriff) July 24, 2021

The peculiar vessel is fitted with makeshift paddles meant to propel Baluchi forward as he turned the base of the vessel in a manner reminiscent of a hamster wheel.

In 2021, he was arrested after being rescued while trying to ride from Florida to New York, after drifting 30 miles south of his departure point. In 2014, he had to be rescued from a similar contraption near St Augustine, and then two years later he again had to be rescued off the coast of Jupiter, near Palm Beach in Florida.

[image:wikicommons] 

Baluchi has consistently claimed that his efforts are in support of a variety of causes, including for the homeless and the Coast Guard. “My goal is to not only raise money for homeless people, raise money for the Coast Guard, raise money for the police department, raise money for the fire department,” he told reporters in 2021.

[source:bbc]