Anchorage Daily News

A Frenchman attempting to circumnavigate the globe was rescued by the Coast Guard off the coast of St. Lawrence Island Saturday afternoon.

Jean Gabriel Chelala, 28, was in a specialized kayak and became fatigued, the Coast Guard said. He was uninjured but unable to power himself to land.

The Coast Guard responded to his call for help with a C-130 airplane and a Jayhawk helicopter. The helicopter air-lifted him from his kayak, about 40 miles off the coast of St. Lawrence, at around 4 p.m.

His kayak was abandoned.

Weather conditions were relatively mild for the notoriously cantankerous Bering Sea, with 6-foot seas and 20 mph winds.

According to the adventurer's Web site and blog, he had been encountering rough waters for several days and was unable to muster the strength to paddle through the currents. It appears he had communications from his kayak.

Chelala left France in January 2008. He claims to be the first to try to circumnavigate the world by human power -- by bicycling and kayaking.

He biked from France to Portugal then kayaked across the Atlantic to Florida, according to his Web site. He then biked from Florida to Alaska.

The Coast Guard says Chelala left Emmonak on June 27. His goal was to reach Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island, a distance of about 250 miles. He missed Gambell though and got thrown off course.

The Coast Guard transported him to Nome, where he was treated for mild hypothermia.

Find Megan Holland online at adn.com/contact/mholland or call 257-4343.

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