Miraculous Rescue: 75-Year-Old Sailor Survives Four-Week Ordeal at Sea
A 75-year-old sailor's six-day voyage turned into a four-week ordeal after a freak wave destroyed his navigational equipment and much of his rations. He was rescued off the Darwin coast last month.
A 75-year-old veteran sailor's harrowing four-week ordeal at sea has ended in a dramatic rescue off the Darwin coast, thanks to the quick thinking of three maritime heroes.
Digby Campbell, a seasoned sailor, was found drifting in Darwin Harbour last month, sunburnt, dehydrated, and disoriented aboard his trimaran, the Singapore Sling. His voyage, which was supposed to take just six days, turned into a desperate fight for survival after a freak wave destroyed his navigational equipment and much of his rations.
The Distressing Voyage
Campbell had been standing at the helm of the Singapore Sling for a day and a half without eating, trying to steer the ship into port, when he was finally rescued. Maritime officer Chris Chridland, launch master Rawson McCrae, and crew member Joshua Witkin spotted the boat and approached to do a welfare check.