The Happiest Type of Stories

A father and son have survived a terrifying night clinging to the wreck of their boat off Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The father, 49, and son, 15, were sailing in Darwin harbour on Saturday morning (May 11) before their 16-foot catamaran flipped over and broke apart, leaving the pair clinging onto what was left in a desperate attempt to stay alive.

In waters known for sharks and crocodiles, the pair were eventually rescued on Sunday morning (May 12) after a nearby Singaporean live export ship’s crew spotted the pair floating off the edge of the harbour.

The father and son were experienced sailors and set out in the harbour around 11am Saturday morning. Police and Careflight services were contacted after a family member reported them missing at around 10pm on Saturday.

Night vision equipment was used as helicopters and police scoured the coastline in search of the missing sailors, who are suspected to have been floating in the water since late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

The time when the catamaran capsized is unclear but Northern Territory (NT) water police have suspected rough seas to be the cause. The cattle export ship found the father and son floating with the remains of their wreck at around 8am on Sunday.

NT water police have suggested that sailors carry mobile phones or emergency beacons stating that ‘communication is vital to getting rescued’.

Miraculously, the father and son were unharmed and required no medical attention, after being shipwrecked throughout Saturday night. NT water police described the sailors as extremely lucky and said the story could have had an otherwise tragic outcome.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk