SIBLINGS Martin Cruickshank and Fenella McAlister have been rescued almost 1,000 miles from land after their rowing boat capsized as they tried to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
The brother and sister duo were heading for Martinique in the Caribbean when the Fifty-Fifty lost its rudder on January 31. Adrift and low on food, the pair tried to keep rowing, hoping winds and currents would take them towards land.
But on Wednesday, 1,000 miles from Martinique, a wave struck their vessel. The boat righted itself but took on water, shorting the electrics. Unable to continue, they activated an emergency distress signal to alert the UK Coastguard and waited for help.
On Thursday, their 72nd day at sea, they were finally rescued by a Maltese cargo ship, the Glyfada.
The pair are now on their way to Gibraltar, where they are expected to dock next week.
McAlister, who is British and in her late 40s, and Cruickshank, who is reportedly Scottish but living in Croatia, set out on the 3,000-mile voyage from Puerto Morgan in Gran Canaria on November 29.
They had hoped to become the first brother and sister team to row the ocean, according to the Ocean Rowing Society International.
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