Solo voyager

It took him more than three months, but South African Chris Bertish became the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean by himself, without help, and on a stand-up paddle board. Bertish arrived at English Harbor, Antigua, on March 9 after having traveled 4,500 nautical miles since setting out from Morocco on Dec. 6. During the voyage, which raised over $400,000 for South African charities, Bertish set a world record for the greatest distance traveled solo, unsupported and unassisted, over the ocean in a day (71.96 miles).

Justice delayed

Benjamin Partridge wanted to turn himself in. Wanted for an assault charge in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Partridge phoned police from his brother-in-law’s home on Feb. 28 and told authorities to come pick him up. After waiting for police for 45 minutes, Partridge got up, stole two cans of hard cider from the fridge and decided to become a fugitive instead. “I thought they’d be here a bit quicker, to be honest,” Partridge’s brother-in-law told the Telegraph. Police are still looking for the 35-year-old.

Nothing to eat

One of the first things consumers learned about the new Nintendo Switch gaming system: It tastes bad. The Japanese gaming giant released the console on March 3 and in order to prevent children from accidentally swallowing the device, infused the plastic with a bittering agent. “It was very, very chemical-like,” Nintendo Switch user Jeff Gerstmann told the BBC after taking to Twitter to complain about the console’s taste. “It was like someone poured a bottle of concentrated [new car smell] into my mouth.”

Suitcase surprise

While sifting through donated merchandise, workers at a Welsh thrift store were shocked to find once-classified plans for the British nuclear attack submarine, the HMS Trafalgar. Staffers at the Barnardo’s store in Porthmadog, Wales, found the plans for the submarine, which entered into service in 1983, in a suitcase among a number of dusty books. They say they plan on auctioning the declassified plans.

Course corrections

For millennials struggling with basic life skills like cooking, cleaning, or finding a job, civic officials in North Bend, Ore., have the answer. The public library in the coastal town is now offering a free course titled “Adulting 101: Basic How-Tos for Ages 16-25.” So far, library officials say the class—filled with tips on setting a budget, cleaning an oven, and shopping for groceries—has been popular and instructors are already dreaming up future classes. This spring, the library plans to offer courses titled “Getting a Job” and “Moving Out.”

Don’t drink the water

Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered that swimmers taking laps in an Olympic-size pool are likely surrounded by 50 gallons of urine in the water. Scientist Xing-Fang Li gathered data from 31 pools and hot tubs in a pair of Canadian cities to study the chemistry of the pool water, saying his findings highlight “the need to control the water quality of swimming pools.”

Liar, liar?

A Miami courtroom descended into chaos when the pants of a defense lawyer accidentally ignited during his closing argument March 8. Attorney Stephen Gutierrez was arguing on behalf of his client, an arson defendant, when smoke began pouring out of his pants pocket. Returning to the courtroom startled and with singed pants, Gutierrez blamed a faulty e-cigarette battery for the incident.

One-day wonder

All Allen Cochran needed to do was show up to court for one more day. The 49-year-old Virginia man sat through a day of proceedings on March 2 during his trial for a November 2015 theft of $33 worth of cheddar from a Food Lion in Norfolk, Va. On March 3, the jury found Cochran not guilty, but Cochran failed to appear for the verdict. When court officials couldn’t locate the man, the jury slapped him with a conviction on a charge of failing to appear for a court hearing. Later in the day, the jury assigned Cochran a five-year sentence for the violation.

Pants police

On Feb. 25, Grayson Powell bowled the game of his life. The Canadian 7-year-old notched a 171, which helped land his team a first-place trophy in a youth tournament in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Minutes after the tournament’s conclusion, though, league officials took the parents of the winning team aside to tell them Grayson’s team would be disqualified because the boy’s black-faded jeans were not black enough. According to league rules, bowlers must wear black pants. The reversal and disqualification led to a minor media firestorm locally, and by March 1 Newfoundland Youth Bowling director Gord Davis said on Facebook that the organization would award Grayson’s team first-place trophies.