Cyril Derreumaux was just three days into his planned 64-day trip to Honolulu when he had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard over the weekend, 70 miles off the coast of Santa Cruz.
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Derreumaux says he paddled 12 hours on his first day and another seven hours the second day -- while seasick -- before he was hit with bad weather and 15-foot swells. His sea anchor, which helps keep him perpendicular to those big waves, failed, potentially putting his life at risk.
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Still, the kayaker thinks he wants to give it another shot by the end of June if there's a window of good weather.
"Mother Nature had different plans for this one, it's just a first attempt. I'm going to come back stronger next try."
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Before that happens, he'll have to head back out on the ocean with a boat that will allow him to retrieve his ocean kayak.
"The Coast Guard came and got me, they were amazing fantastic people. But they come for your life, so they left the boat adrift."
Once he has his kayak back, he plans to assess the damage to it and give it another shot as soon as weather allows.
Derreumaux explains what went wrong and his hopes for the next attempt in the video at the top of this story.