Dr. Alain Bombard, 80; Crossed Atlantic on Raft, Living on Sea’s Bounty

Dr. Alain Bombard, 80, who crossed the Atlantic in a small inflatable boat without food or water to prove that shipwrecked sailors could survive off the sea’s bounty, died Tuesday in southern France, his family said.

In 1952, the French biologist and medical doctor completed a 65-day voyage on a single-sail raft he named the Heretic to prove that it was possible to live off of small quantities of salt water, plankton and fresh-caught fish.

He had made the trip from the Canary Islands to the West Indies accompanied by a British aide, a sextant and almost no provisions. The only break in his diet came when he had breakfast on a passing freighter.

He published “The Bombard Story,” a memoir about his experience, in 1955, and his research led to improvements in the standard safety equipment on ships.

Bombard entered politics in his 50s. In 1981, he was briefly secretary of state for the environment under French President Francois Mitterrand before serving in the European Parliament.