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AAP
Twin Russian rowers rescued off the West Australian coast are not
expected on dry land until at least Thursday, maritime authorities
said on Wednesday.
Sergey and Alexander Sinelnik, 31, had hoped to enter the Guinness
Book of World Records by rowing their wooden boat 7,400 km from
Carnarvon, 900 km north of Perth, to Tanzania in southern Africa.
They were forced to abort their voyage on Monday after losing two of
their three anchors and spending the past 10 days drinking ballast
water because of a failed desalinator.
The pair was rescued by the Norwegian LNG tanker Euro Viking about
850 km off the WA coast at 7.15pm (WST) on Monday, after an initial
rescue attempt by a commercial bulk carrier bound for France failed.
The tanker will take the twins, and their plexiglass-covered 7.3
metre boat, to Fremantle, but a spokesman for Fremantle Ports said
the tanker was not expected to arrive until early on Thursday.
Carnarvon man Toby Williams, who helped organise the record bid,
said the twins initially hoped to continue their record bid but
plans to get a new water-maker delivered to them were delayed beyond
feasibility.
"We tried to get a spare water-maker out to them, which actually
arrived in Carnarvon on Friday which was too late as they were too
far out for any pleasure boat, recreational boats or even charter
boats to get to them," he told ABC radio.
Ocean Rowing Society general manager Tatiana Crutchlow spoke to the
pair minutes before their rescue and both were in general good
health.
But she said Alexander, who had previously broken his shoulder on a
motorbike trip, would need medical attention upon his arrival to
Fremantle.
"During the row he started to feel pain, so he was rowing with only
one hand," Ms Crutchlow told AAP from London.
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