Praying for help after launch overturns

A man, his two sons and a friend prayed loudly for help when they realised they were likely to die after their 5m launch overturned in Hawkes Bay on Saturday.

David Maxwell, his sons James, 21, Brent, 17, and their friend Daniel Mott, 20, had struck out for the shore about 6km away after fearing they would not be found in the dark.

Only the "fluke" sighting of what Whirinaki fisherman Neil Robertson thought was a strangely positioned marker buoy saved their lives.