Alain Bombard is overboard of his own free will. Alain Bombard and his solo voyage (7 photos) Who is Alain Bombard

Alain Alain (real name Emile Auguste Chartier) (1868-1951) - French literary critic and philosopher. * * * Bad temper is no small advantage in life, and that must be why bilious people succeed in politics. If you don't trust people, you will be robbed. If you are them

This man is not easily attributed to the outstanding "sea wolves", since he went out to sea only twice, both times on a boat without a rudder and without sails. However, his feat was one of the most outstanding achievements of mankind in the confrontation with the ocean.

Being a practicing doctor in a seaside hospital, Alain Baumbar was literally shocked by the fact that every year tens and even hundreds of thousands of people die at sea! And at the same time, a significant part of them died not from drowning, cold or hunger, but from fear, they died only because they believed in the inevitability of their death.

They were killed by despair, lack of will, apparent aimlessness to fight for their lives and the lives of their comrades in misfortune. "Victims of the legendary shipwrecks who died prematurely, I know: it was not the sea that killed you, it was not hunger that killed you, it was not thirst that killed you! Swinging on the waves to the plaintive cries of seagulls, you died of fear," Bombar said firmly, deciding to prove it from his own experience strength of courage and self-confidence.

Every year, up to fifty thousand people die in boats and life belts, and at the same time, 90% of them die in the first three days! It is quite understandable that during shipwrecks, for whatever reason they occur, people get lost, they forget that the human body is able to live without water for ten days, and without food even up to thirty.

As a doctor who knows the reserves of the human body well, Alain Bombard was sure that many people who, for one reason or another, were forced to leave the comfort of the ship and escape on boats, rafts or other improvised means, died long before their abandoned physical strength: they were killed by despair. And such a death overtook not only random people in the sea - passengers, but also professional sailors accustomed to the sea. This habit was for them connected with the deck of the ship, reliable, although swaying. They are accustomed to looking at the sea from the height of the ship's hull. A ship is not just a means of transportation on water, it is also a psychological factor that protects the human psyche from fear of an alien element. On a ship, a person has confidence, the conviction that he is insured against possible accidents, that all these accidents are foreseen by experienced ship designers and builders, that a sufficient amount of all kinds of food and water is prepared in the holds of the ship for the entire period of the voyage and even more .. .

Not without reason, back in the days of the sailing fleet, it was said that only whalers and fur seal hunters see the real sea, as they attack whales and seals in the open ocean from small whaleboats and sometimes wander for a long time in the fog, carried by sudden storm winds from their ship . These people rarely died: after all, they were prepared in advance to sail the sea on a boat for some time. They knew about it and were ready to overcome the elements on their fragile and yet reliable whaleboats.

Even having lost a ship in the open ocean for one reason or another, they traveled enormous distances and still came to land. True, not always either: if some died, it was only after many days of stubborn struggle, during which they did everything they could, exhausting the last forces of their body. All these people were mentally prepared for the need to spend some time on the boat. These were their normal working conditions.

Wanting to make unprepared people believe in themselves, in the ability to overcome both the forces of the elements and their apparent weakness, Alain Bombard is not a St. John's wort or a sailor, but an ordinary doctor set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in an ordinary inflatable boat.

He was sure that there is a lot of food in the sea and you just need to be able to get this food in the form of planktonic animals and plants or fish. He knew that all life-saving equipment on ships - boats, boats, rafts - have a set of lines, sometimes nets, they have certain tools for fishing for marine life, and finally, they can be made from improvised means. With their help, you can get food, since almost everything that our body needs is contained in marine animals. Even fresh water.

However, sea water, consumed in small quantities, can help a person save the body from dehydration. Recall that the Polynesians, who were sometimes blown away by hurricanes far from the earth, knew how to fight for their lives and, perhaps most importantly, accustomed their bodies to the consumption of sea water. Sometimes for weeks and months the boats of the Polynesians rushed across the stormy ocean, and yet the islanders survived by catching fish, turtles, birds, using the juices of these animals. In all this, they did not see anything special, since they were mentally prepared for such troubles. But the same islanders dutifully died on the shore with a full abundance of food, when it became known to them that someone had "bewitched" them. They believed in the power of witchcraft and therefore died. Because of fear!..

To the equipment of his rubber boat, Bombar added only a plankton net and a speargun.

The bomber chose an unusual route for himself - far from the sea routes of merchant ships. True, his "Heretic", as this boat was called, was supposed to go in the warm zone of the ocean, but this is a deserted zone. To the north and south are the routes of commercial ships.

Previously, as a preparation for this journey, he and his friend spent two weeks in the Mediterranean. For fourteen days they made do with what the sea gave them. The first experience of a long journey dependent on the sea was a success. Of course, and it was difficult, very difficult!

However, his friend, by the way, an experienced sailor who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a small yacht all alone, but provided with everything necessary in abundance, at the last moment got scared and simply disappeared. Two weeks was long enough for him to refuse to tempt fate any further. He assured that he believed in Bombard's idea, but he was scared off by the thought of the impending need to eat raw fish again, swallow the healing, but such a disgusting plankton and drink the juice squeezed out of the body of the fish, diluting it with sea water. Perhaps he was a brave sailor, but a man of a different stock than Bombar: he did not have the purposefulness of Bombar.

Bombard prepared for his voyage theoretically and mentally. As a physician, he knew that water was more important than food. And he examined dozens of fish species that he could meet in the ocean. These studies have shown that 50 to 80% of the weight of the fish is water, and at the same time fresh, and that the body of marine fish contains significantly less salt than the meat of mammals.

Having carefully checked the amount of various salts dissolved in the ocean water, Bombar was convinced that, apart from table salt, each 800 grams of sea water contains approximately the same amount of other salts as there is in a liter of various mineral waters. We drink these waters - often with great benefit. During his journey, Bombar became convinced that it was extremely important to prevent dehydration of the body in the early days, and then a decrease in water rations would not be detrimental to the body in the future. Thus, he supported his idea with scientific data.

Bombard had many friends, but there were also skeptics, ill-wishers, and people who were simply hostile to him. Not everyone understood the humanity of his idea. Newspapermen were looking for a sensation, and since there was none, they invented it. Experts were unanimously indignant: shipbuilders - that Bombar was going to cross the ocean in a boat that supposedly could not be controlled; sailors - because he is not a sailor, but go ahead ... the doctors were horrified that Bombar was going to live on seafood and drink sea water.

As if challenging all his skeptics, Bombar called his boat "The Heretic"...

By the way, people who are well acquainted with the history of navigation and shipwrecks warmly supported the idea of ​​Bombard. Moreover, they were confident in the success of the experiment.

Alain Bombard sailed across the ocean for sixty-five days. In the very first days, he refuted the assurances of "specialists" that there were no fish in the ocean. Many books about the oceans are full of such expressions as "desert ocean", "water desert"...

Bombar proved that this is far from the case! It was just difficult to see life in the ocean from the big ships. Another thing is on a raft or on a boat! From here you can observe the diverse life of the sea - life, sometimes unfamiliar, incomprehensible, full of surprises. The ocean is often deserted for many weeks of travel, but it is inhabited night and day by creatures that can be useful or harmful to man. The fauna of the ocean is rich, but we still know little about it.

Alain Bombard proved that a person can do a lot if he really wants to and does not lose willpower. He is able to survive in the most difficult conditions in which he may accidentally find himself. Describing this unprecedented experiment on himself in the book "Overboard of his own free will", which sold millions of copies, Alain Bombard may have saved tens of thousands of lives of those people who were alone with the hostile elements - and were not afraid.

Just a little over sixty years ago, the doctor Alain Bombard alone, in a small rubber boat, crossed the Atlantic Ocean. It took him sixty-five days. He drank sea water and ate what he caught in the ocean. He wanted to prove that shipwrecked victims have a chance of survival. And he proved.

Alain Bombard - overboard of his own free will

Rubber boat Heretic - on it Alain Bombard went to conquer the ocean

The bomber kept a diary. He wrote everything down. For example:

“Eating raw fish makes a person very susceptible to infection. The slightest wound breaks." He threw antibiotics overboard - what if the victims of disasters do not have them.
He found out that you need to drink sea water in small portions, and then the kidneys cope, but you can only drink this way for six days - then you have to catch fish and squeeze out its juice. The skin is cut into the fish, and lymph is released from it, so they drink it. Or they chop the fish into small pieces, and then wrap it in a cloth and squeeze it out. They drink fish juice for a day, and then you can drink sea water again.

The itinerary of an incredible journey

Alpina Publisher's book about Alan Bombard's journey

“About half a liter of water can be collected in the morning - dew falls. It covers the entire boat and can be assembled with a sponge.
To reduce thirst, you need to moisten any rag and put it on your face.
If you throw a sock on a leash overboard, then in an hour plankton will pick up in it. A tablespoon a day satisfies the need for vitamin C. No need to take off your clothes, even if they get wet. Clothing keeps you warm."

What only Bombar did not experience. Storms, and calm, and scorching heat fell to his lot. The skin on my legs came off in tatters, my fingernails grew into the meat, and everything on my legs came off. He developed bloody diarrhea, at times it was difficult to keep his psyche within the normal range. He was talking to the doll. The little doll was given to him by his friends. And Bomber won. Sixty-five days later he landed on the island of Barbados.

“To achieve victory, you must believe in it!” - he wrote in a note to his friend Jack, who abandoned him just before the start of this voyage. After that, Bombar and went across the ocean alone.
He won because he knew that a person dies first of all from fear. So the passengers of the Titanic died in lifeboats. So many victims of shipwrecks perished.

The bomber gave them a chance. He proved that man can do everything. In the summer of 2005, Alain Bombard, a man of insane courage, passed away. He was in his 81st year.

Alain Bombard is a French biologist, physician and politician.

Alain was born in Paris on October 27, 1924. Being a practicing doctor in a seaside hospital, Alain Bombard was literally shocked by the fact that every year tens and even hundreds of thousands of people die at sea! And at the same time, a significant part of them died not from drowning, cold or hunger, but from fear, they died only because they believed in the inevitability of their death.

They were killed by despair, lack of will, apparent aimlessness to fight for their lives and the lives of their comrades in misfortune. "Victims of the legendary shipwrecks who died prematurely, I know: it was not the sea that killed you, it was not hunger that killed you, it was not thirst that killed you! Swinging on the waves to the plaintive cries of seagulls, you died of fear," Bombar said firmly, deciding to prove it from his own experience strength of courage and self-confidence.

As a doctor who knows the reserves of the human body well, Alain Bombard was sure that many people who, for one reason or another, were forced to leave the comfort of the ship and escape on boats, rafts or other improvised means, died long before their abandoned physical strength: they were killed by despair.

Wanting to make unprepared people believe in themselves, in the ability to overcome both the forces of the elements and their apparent weakness, Alain Bombard is not a St. John's wort and not a sailor, but an ordinary doctor decided to sail the Atlantic Ocean in an ordinary inflatable boat.

The bomber had been preparing for swimming for about a year, both theoretically and psychologically. There were many friends who ardently supported the idea of ​​​​Bombard and provided all kinds of assistance, but there were also skeptics, ill-wishers, or even simply hostile people. Not everyone understood the humanity of the idea, they even called it heresy, and the author himself - a heretic. As if challenging all his naysayers, Bombar called his boat "The Heretic".

Alain Bombard proved that a person can do a lot if he really wants to and does not lose willpower. He is able to survive in the most difficult conditions in which he may accidentally find himself.

Sailing on the "Heretic" and publishing the book "Overboard at will" were Bombard's finest hour. It was thanks to him that in 1960 the London Conference on the Safety of Navigation decided to equip ships with life rafts. Subsequently, he more than once undertook voyages with the most different purposes, was engaged in the study of seasickness and the bactericidal properties of water, fought the pollution of the Mediterranean Sea.

But the main result of Bombar's life is ten thousand people who wrote to him: "If not for your example, we would have died!"

But history also knows those who are ready to sacrifice their lives in the raging waves of a troubled ocean for the benefit of humanity, for the sake of science. This is exactly what Alain Bombard was - a doctor, traveler, biologist and public figure. His circumnavigation in an inflatable rubber boat showed that a shipwrecked man can survive without food and water in the open ocean, and Bombar's willpower, shown on the way to the goal, amazed the whole world.

French doctor's theories

Alain Bombard was born on October 27, 1924 in Paris. As a very young medical student, Alain often wondered why the statistics of shipwreck victims were so high. Already when he, having completed his studies and went to work in one of the coastal hospitals, he had a chance to face a terrible picture of a shipwreck: 43 bodies of the unfortunate who were victims of the water element were brought to the hospital. This was imprinted in the memory of Bombard for life, the young doctor was amazed why people die in the first days of a shipwreck, when there is an adequate supply of water and food.

Alain Bombard delved into the problem of mortality due to maritime disasters and he managed to establish a terrible pattern - people who, by the will of fate, fell into the open sea on a lifeboat, died of despair, of fear of inevitability. The doctor realized that the main reason for the numerous deaths was the lack of desire to fight for his life and the loss of faith in a possible salvation. After studying the problem, Bombar developed survival techniques for those who were shipwrecked.

Experiment Idea

In the scientific world, Alain Bombard's theories were skeptical, and in 1952 he had the idea to prove by his own example that a person can survive on an inflatable boat in the open ocean, eating raw fish and drinking salty sea water from time to time. Such a desire aroused general disapproval, and a desperate French doctor considered crazy, because such an experiment was a real suicide.

Alain Bombard believed in himself and knew that the human body has huge internal resources and, subject to certain rules, will be able to endure a long journey in difficult conditions. Filled with this faith, the young doctor begins preparations for round the world trip. He begins theoretical training: he examines the types of fish that can be found in the ocean and determines that the body of fish consists of 80% water, containing fats, salts and trace elements. Bombar admits that the juice squeezed out of fish can be used as a source of fresh water.

Alain Bombard planned to travel in the company of a companion. He advertised in the newspaper, and his proposal began to respond. But among the large number of applicants there was no suitable candidate: as a rule, madmen and suicides responded, people offering to eat them on time, and those who tried to send relatives they did not like on a dangerous journey. The satellite was nevertheless found, it was the yachtsman Jack Palmer, who made a test trip with Alain from about. Menorca, during which travelers ate raw fish they caught and drank the juice from it. But on the day of sailing, the unfortunate yachtsman was frightened by the hardships of circumnavigating the world and disappeared without a trace.

Dangerous journey

October 19, 1952, despite the birth of his daughter, Alain Bombard went on a long journey. His boat, four and a half meters long, was named "Heretic", as a challenge to the society that did not believe in his success. Throughout the voyage, Bombard used only raw fish and caught birds for food, drank sea water and fish juice. Despite the fact that there was a supply of food and water on board the boat, the traveler did not touch it even in the most difficult moments of ordeals - Bombar was ready for anything to prove his theories.

The journey was difficult, as expected. The bomber has been on the verge of death more than once, but thanks to determination, a thirst for life and superhuman efforts, a newcomer to sea ​​voyages managed to do what many experienced yachtsmen feared - he crossed the globe, proved the correctness of his theories and remained alive despite all the dangers of the path. Alain Bombard scooped water out of the boat for several hours in a row, during storms, falling from fatigue, he did not give up and fought, dispersed even large fish striving to damage the boat and did not accept any offer of passing ships to take him on board. The idea for the Frenchman was more important than comfort, plentiful food and.

The tragedy that overshadowed the triumph

Returning to France after 65 days of wandering through the expanses of water, Bombard became a celebrity: they reckoned with him, honored him and tried to inherit. Since that time, he has held honorary positions, takes part in scientific and social work, and writes the best-selling book Overboard of His Own Will.

In 1958, Alain takes part in the design of the raft, which was planned to equip all ships. But the test of the raft ended tragically: nine crew members and rescuers died, only Bombar managed to escape. This led to the fact that Alain's reputation was damaged, and it was he who was blamed by many for the tragedy.

Alain Bombard survived a severe depression, but despite this, in 1975 he began his political career. He held high positions in various French parties and state structures, and in 1981 became a member of the European Parliament. At the age of 80, the great traveler and public figure died in Toulon. His activities and life principles became an example for followers of travelers, and the motto "Be more stubborn than the sea, and you will win!" helped many people who were victims of difficult circumstances.