1.
GV Korean fishing boat off Walkiki, Honolulu
0.08

2.
LV Baileys on ship's bridge
0.16

3.
LV Officials board boat
0.29

4.
SV Baileys on quayside, being garlanded
0.48



Initials BB/0350 MR/BOB/BB/0400


original on 6781/73 54ft
TELERECORDING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A British couple on Saturday (July 14) described how they survived 117 days adrift in the Pacific in a rubber liferaft after their yacht sank. Mr. Bailey 41, and his wife Marilyn, 32, were frail but in good spirits when they reached Honolulu after being rescued by a South Korean fishing boat.

They described how they caught sharks with a bent safety pin, saw many ships pass them by, and how they drifted in and out of consciousness during their ordeal. When they were finally rescued by the Korean fishing boat, they were too weak to eat at first and it was several days before they could walk, and then only with the aid of crutches.

SYNOPSIS: The Korean fishing boat Weoli Mi entered Waikiki Harbour on Saturday with two shipwreck survivors on board. They were British couple Maurice Bailey, and his wife Marilyn, whose 31-foot sloop, the Aurelyn hit a wheel and sank on March 4.

When officials boarded the fishing boat, they heard how the Baileys had survived for 117 days by killing sharks, turtles and seagulls, catching rainwater, and using diary pages as playing cards.

From their tiny, five foot rubber dinghy, the Baileys watched at least seven ships pass by without spotting them. Between the Galapagos Islands and Panama, they were noticed by the Korean boat. When rescued they were unable to walk for several days, then only aided by crutches.