The journey of an Alsatian man who intended to walk across the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, came to a rapid end about 30 miles off the coast of Los Angeles this week, when his sleeping quarters were destroyed by debris in a storm.

The man, Remy Bricka, 50, intended to spend six months crossing the Pacific on pontoonlike skis while towing a catamaran behind him with food and sleeping quarters, but the adventure lasted less than a day. Mr. Bricka said in an interview on Friday that he hit stormy weather and 18-foot swells early Sunday in the first night of his journey.