Brothers survive by clinging to chillybin

Two Hamilton brothers are praising their chillybin for saving their lives after they spent an hour clinging to it in even chillier waters off the coast of Raglan.

They were spotted by sheer luck when the bait in the bin spilled out and attracted birds, which also lured their rescuers on Sunday morning.

Ross and Shane Fletcher were out fishing when the motor cut out and two large waves crashed over the back of and sunk their 4.5m fibreglass boat.

"We held on to the front of the boat for a while, but then it went down," Shane Fletcher told The Waikato Times.

"We were very lucky we had the chillybin. It saved us in many ways."

The brothers had been trying to swim to shore for about an hour and the first stages of hypothermia were starting to set in.

Both men have two young children who were in their thoughts.

Brothers Dan Mills and Matt Sinn, also out fishing, saw the birds that were attracted to the Fletchers' bait and thought there might be fish there.

When they got closer they found Ross and Shane Fletcher, both wearing lifejackets, each hanging on to a handle of the blue and white chillybin.

"We were very elated. Very happy to see them," Shane Fletcher said.

"At that stage I couldn't feel my feet."

Ross Fletcher said he was trying not to think about the loss of his boat, which was not insured.

"I'm just happy that we are still alive."

- NZPA