US tourists swim for 14 hours after ship sinks off St. Lucia

The brother and sister are recovering in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia after their ship sank on April 21 during a fishing trip. As the waves pounded the boat they had chartered from the local company "Reel Irie," more water flooded in. The captain threw life preservers to the Suskis. "He said, 'Jump out! Jump out!'" The group was at least eight miles from shore, and waves more than twice their size tossed them. As they began to swim, the Suskis lost sight of the captain and first mate amid the burgeoning swells. Soon after, they also lost sight of land amid the rain. Several hours went by, and the sun began to set. They swam for 12 to 14 hours, talking as they pushed and shivered their way through the ocean. When they finally came within 30 feet of land, they realized they couldn't get out of the water."There were sheer cliffs coming into the ocean," she said. "We knew we would get crushed." They swam until they noticed a spit of sand nearby. When they got to land, they collapsed, barely able to walk. It was past midnight. Kate Suski had only her bikini on, having shed her sundress to swim better. Dan Suski had gotten rid of his shorts, having recalled a saying when he was a kid that "the best-dressed corpses wear cotton."