On June 5 Ben Lecomte entered the ocean off Chiba Prefecture to begin his attempt at a record-breaking swim across the Pacific, with the aim of shining a light on ocean pollution and plastic contamination.
Now, almost six months and 1,500 nautical miles into the attempt and approaching the Pacific Ocean's plastic accumulation zone (aka the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), the 50-year-old swimmer has had to abandon his attempt after his support boat, Discoverer, suffered irreparable damage to its mainsail in unprecedented storms.
"We've faced treacherous winds, rain and ocean swells that have forced us to alter our course, and the irreparable damage to the sail is an insurmountable blow," Lecomte said recently from aboard the Discoverer.