Leak leads to hours at sea

13 May 2014 - 02:04 By Staff reporter
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Image: Gallo Images/Thinkstock

A man who fell overboard after urinating over the side of a yacht survived three hours of rough seas before reaching a remote New Zealand peninsula.

The Northern Advocate reported that Todd Vercoe was eventually rescued when he etched "SOS" in the sand with his foot to alert searchers to his position.

The newspaper said Vercoe, 36, and two companions were about 9km offshore on Saturday when he decided to relieve himself off the back of the yacht.

''That's when I fell in. I was yelling and screaming as soon as I hit the water. But there was no way they could hear me over the motor and they were both in the cabin below deck," the newspaper quoted Vercoe as saying.

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