Bombard Alain

[Alysa Guillama]

Bombardreports he survived by fishing (and using fish as source of both fresh water and food) with a self-made harpoon and hooks, and harvesting the surface plankton with a small net. He also drank a limited amount of seawater for a long period on his trip. On 23 October, the fourth day of the journey, Bombard had to mend a torn old sail, while the backup sail was blown away. He also made a major navigation mistake which made him believe that he was sailing much faster than he actually was. On the fifty-third day of the journey he encountered a ship. The crew told him that he was still over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) short of his goal. However, after the ship's crew offered him a meal, Bombard decided to go on. Bombard reached Barbados on 23 December 1952, after 4,400 kilometres (2,700 mi) of travel. Bombard had lost 25 kilograms (55 lb) and was briefly hospitalized. He published a book about his trip entitled Naufrag Volontaire in 1953.

Bombard's claim was later tested and contested by Hannes Lindemann, a German physician, canoeist and sailing pioneer, although both the French and Taiwanese navies concurred with Bombard's findings, the Taiwanese exercise extending to 134 days. Lindemann wanted to repeat Bombard's trip in order to gain a better understanding of living on salt water and fish, but found that he needed fresh water (from rain) most days. Lindemann later claimed that Bombard had actually taken along fresh water and consumed it on the ocean, and that he had also been secretly provided further supplies during his voyage. Lindemann's own observations about reactions to scarce fresh water supplies became the basis for the World Health Organization's navigation recommendations. However, it appears that Bombard may have been misunderstood in regard to the possibility of survival without fresh water. Bombard never argued that human survival is possible only by drinking seawater. On the contrary, he indicated that seawater in small quantities can prolong survival if accompanied, if rainwater is not available, by the absorption of liquids present in the bodies of fish. On its own, he only claimed the seawater can extend the period of consciousness during which alternatives can be sought. Bombard's legacy is still debated; in any case, an inflatable survival raft is still very often called a "bombard" in French, in memory of the doctor's adventure in the Atlantic.

In 1958, Bombard and six men were testing a rubber dinghy in rough waters off of the coast of the French town of tel when a wave capsized the craft. A rescue crew of seven, standing by during test, came to Bombard's rescue in a lifeboat which was capsized by a huge wave that knocked nine of the 14 people on board overboard. Bombard and four men were the only survivors. [1]

Bombard was featured in an episode of the educational television program 3-2-1 Contact in 1986, in which he coaches two of the teenaged cast members on his life-raft survival techniques using a real raft on the open sea.

El 19 d'octubre de 1952 Bombard va comenar el seu viatge solitari a travs de l'oce Atlntic fins a les ndies Occidentals, desprs de visitar la seva filla recent nascuda a Frana. Abans havia navegat a l'oce Atlntic en solitari, de Tnger a Casablanca (13-20 d'agost) i de Casablanca a Las Palmas (24 d'agost - 3 de setembre).

El pla original havia estat navegar per l'Atlntic amb un amic, el navegant angls Jack Palmer, amb qui va navegar poc abans de Mnaco a Menorca (5 de maig - 11 de juny), per Jack va abandonar Alain a Tnger. Bombard va navegar en un vaixell inflable Zodiac anomenat l'Hrtique ("l' heretic "), que feia noms 4.5 metres (15 ft) llarg, prenent noms un sextant i gaireb sense provisions.

Bombard informa que va sobreviure pescant (i utilitzant peixos com a font d'aigua dola i aliment) amb un arp i ganxos fets a si mateix, i collint el plncton de la superfcie amb una petita xarxa. Tamb va beure una quantitat limitada d'aigua de mar durant un llarg perode en el seu viatge. El 23 d'octubre, el quart dia del viatge, Bombard va haver d'arreglar una vela vella esquinada, mentre que la vela de seguretat va volar. Tamb va cometre un gran error de navegaci que el va fer creure que navegava molt ms rpid del que realment era. El cinquanta-tres dia del viatge es va trobar amb un vaixell. La tripulaci li va dir que encara feia ms de 1,000 quilometres (620 mi) curt del seu objectiu.

L'afirmaci de Bombard va ser posteriorment provada i impugnada per Hannes Lindemann, un metge alemany, piragista i pioner de la vela, tot i que tant l'armada francesa com la taiwanesa van coincidir amb les conclusions de Bombard, l'exercici taiwans es va estendre fins a 134 dies. Lindemann volia repetir el viatge de Bombard per tal d'entendre millor la vida amb aigua salada i peixos, per va trobar que necessitava aigua dola (de la pluja) la majoria dels dies.

Lindemann va afirmar ms tard que Bombard havia agafat aigua dola i l'havia consumit a l'oce, i que tamb li havien proporcionat en secret ms subministraments durant el seu viatge. Les prpies observacions de Lindemann sobre les reaccions a l'escs subministrament d'aigua dola es van convertir en la base de les recomanacions de navegaci de l'Organitzaci Mundial de la Salut.

Tanmateix, sembla que Bombard podria haver estat mal ents pel que fa a la possibilitat de sobreviure sense aigua dola. Bombard mai va argumentar que la supervivncia humana noms s possible bevent aigua de mar. Per contra, va indicar que l'aigua de mar en petites quantitats pot allargar la supervivncia si s'acompanya, si no es disposa d'aigua de pluja, de l'absorci de lquids presents en els cossos dels peixos. Per si sola, noms va afirmar que l'aigua de mar pot allargar el perode de conscincia durant el qual es poden buscar alternatives. El llegat de Bombard encara es debat; en tot cas, una bassa de supervivncia inflable encara s'anomena molt sovint "bombarda" en francs, en record de l'aventura del metge a l'Atlntic.

El 1958, Bombard i sis homes estaven provant un vaixell de goma en aiges agitades de la costa de la ciutat francesa d'tel quan una onada va bolcar l'embarcaci. Una tripulaci de rescat de set persones, que estava pendent durant la prova, va venir al rescat de Bombard en un vaixell salvavides que va ser bolcat per una onada enorme que va fer caure nou de les 14 persones a bord per la borda. Bombard i quatre homes van ser els nics supervivents.[1]

Bombard va aparixer en un episodi del programa de televisi educatiu 3-2-1 Contact l'any 1986, en qu entrena a dos dels adolescents membres del repartiment en les seves tcniques de supervivncia amb una bassa salvavides utilitzant una bassa real a mar obert.

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