Arabic version: تكريم منقذين في داروين بعد محنة بحّار استمرت أربعة أسابيع

According to ABC News, three men who rescued 75-year-old sailor Digby Campbell off Darwin Harbour have received Distinguished Lifesaving Awards after finding him sunburnt, dehydrated and disoriented on his trimaran, the Singapore Sling.

Campbell had left Dili in early July expecting a six-day voyage to Darwin. Two days into the trip, rough seas off Timor-Leste damaged the vessel, destroying his tablet and phone and leaving its motor, rigging and headsail in trouble. The journey ultimately lasted four weeks.

Maritime officer Chris Chridland, launch master Rawson McCrae and crew member Joshua Witkin approached the boat for a welfare check after spotting it in Darwin Harbour last month. Campbell had been standing at the helm for a day and a half, had not eaten for three days and had severely swollen ankles, the rescuers said.

The trio helped Campbell ashore and into a waiting ambulance. Chridland said the boat was moving at about 1.5 knots in little wind and that it could have taken Campbell another two days to reach harbour.

The Australian Maritime Officers Union presented McCrae, Witkin and Chridland with the awards at an informal Darwin waterfront gathering this week. After repairs and a fresh coat of paint, Campbell said he was preparing to sail the Singapore Sling to New Zealand via Cairns in a couple of weeks.