PARIS, Dec. 28 -- A 71-year-old Frenchman is trying to cross the Atlantic in a capsule.

The former military paratrooper Jean-Jacques Savin started his voyage on Wednesday from Canary Islands off the West African coast. He hopes to arrive the Caribbean by the end of March, propelled only by ocean currents and winds.

On his website, Savin described this challenge as "a crossing where the man would not be captain of his boat, but passenger of the Ocean."

Savin had worked on the capsule for months before his voyage. With six square meters of living space, the barrel includes a sleeping bunk, kitchen, and storage. It also has a solar panel which generates power for GPS positioning.

Savin prepared a block of foie gras and two bottles of wine on the vessel for New Year's Eve and his 72nd birthday in January, according to AFP.

During the trek, Savin will drop markers for researchers at the marine observatory JCOMMOPS to study currents. His mental condition will also be investigated by scientists to study how solitude and close confinement affect him.