Transatlantic Swim Nears Rough End

French swimmer Guy Delage slapped through high seas Wednesday as he struggled to complete the final 36 miles of a solo journey across the Atlantic.

The 42-year-old swimmer was on course to land this morning on the southeastern edge of Barbados, said Julie Willik, a U.S. spokeswoman for OceaNantes, the Paris-based team monitoring the trip.

Delage began his 2,400-mile journey Dec. 16 from the Cape Verde islands off Africa, paddling while holding onto a 31-inch kickboard-like flotation device. Strong westward ocean currents have carried alongside him a 15-foot raft, upon which he sleeps.

But on Tuesday, he quickly clambered aboard the raft after spotting a shark and lost his kickboard in the six-foot-high seas, Willik told The Associated Press. “He’s swimming freestyle now,” the spokeswoman said.

Communicating via a radio aboard his raft, Delage told his support team Tuesday that “even after 2,350 miles, the dangers of the sea are tremendous. I must remain focused on my goal, yet aware of the peril that exists.”

The swimmer, who has suffered severe seasickness and deep depression, said he was immensely heartened two weeks ago at the sight of North American sooty terns, the first sign that he was getting close to land.

His wife, Katherine, and 5-year-old son, Clement, were in Barbados to await his arrival.