A 42-year-old Florida man was rescued last month in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean after trying to embark on a 3,000-mile long nautical journey aboard an inflatable hamster ball.

This modern Magellan made it a mere 70 miles and three days into his seafaring adventure, only to be “voluntarily” scooped up by the local Coast Guard.

Tragically, he was only 2,930 miles short of his goal when this happened.

Turns out channeling the spirit of Florida can only get a man so far.

Reza Baluchi, a long distance runner, departed from Pompano Beach in south Florida in his heavily modified hamster ball on April 15. This not-so-noble craft featured an outer cylinder-shaped frame for stability, several inflatable balls for buoyancy, and some essential survival items needed for the trip, including a water filter and some bottles of Gatorade.

As for food, Baluchi brought only a fishing pole and bait, which probably put a bit too much faith in his fishing skills as a whole over the course of his five-month long journey.

Unlike his hamster brethren, Baluchi never did figure out how to work a constantly replenishing food bowl into his design.

This isn’t his first hamster rodeo. An almost identical incident happened in 2014 when Baluchi unsurprisingly tried the exact same thing. This time, however, he wasn’t as well prepared, getting lost early into his journey and drifting hopelessly off course.

His plight was reported to the Coast Guard only after he was found, still in his hamster ball, deliriously asking strangers in the middle of the ocean for directions to Bermuda.

The rescue operation, involving a whole plethora of personnel, reportedly cost taxpayers a whopping $144,000 to cover the expenses of the vehicles used. In other words, Floridian taxpayers can rest easy knowing that their hard-earned money is going toward a good cause.   The Coast Guard allegedly employed revolutionary new tactics in their rescue as well, reportedly using some rarely tested technology called “a boat” to reach this brave man’s location in only a few hours. Sources say that these “boats” are much faster and easier to control than your traditional inflatable sea bubble, but I’m not sure if I see the advantages to using such a contraption.

After this 2014 incident, Baluchi was warned of a possible seven-year “containment” and $40,000 fine if he ever attempted the stunt again, according to the Orlando Weekly.

In a certain way, this ended up being a victory of the US Coast Guard, since they were able to stem this man’s obsession with hamster balls and tropical islands for almost two years.

The whole ordeal hasn’t been completely in vain, however. Over the course of his journey, Baluchi raised a whopping $37 for his charity dedicated to helping children in need, putting him right on track for his initial goal of $850,000.

This man is no stranger to this type of endeavor, either. Over the course of his life he’s biked across six continents and even run across the perimeter of the United States. Tom Hanks would be proud.

Overall, Baluchi has now attempted this journey three times, putting the rest of the world, especially Florida’s taxpayers, on the edge of their seats wondering whether a fourth daring attempt will be made.

Who would’ve thought that a 10-foot inflatable aquatic hamster ball could stir up so much controversy?   Despite all of this failure, he will still go down in the hamster history books as one of the most inspirational human beings to ever live. Somewhere, off in space, Christopher Columbus shakes his head in disapproval.