An Australian skipper and his New Zealand first mate who survived 11 days on a life raft without food or water may be home in time for a late Christmas.
They've finally left the Vietnamese island on which they were trapped for a week and have been taken to the
mainland.
The thirty-year-old first mate, Steven John Freeman, and his Australian skipper, 49-year-old Mark Smith, were rescued by fishermen on December 17.
They spent another week on an island off the coast of Vietnam, because the same storms that buffeted their life raft made it too dangerous to send a boat to take them to the mainland.
They have been met by New Zealand and Australian consular officials to prepare for the trip home.
- NEWSTALK ZB
