The dream holiday of two Macclesfield couples was interrupted by the dramatic rescue of two stricken sailors.

Bob and Pat Burrows and Geoff and Sue Signey were on the Celebrity Solstice cruise in the South Pacific when the ship received a call to help a sunken yacht.

The 37-foot boat had hit a reef on its way from Hawaii to Tahiti, leaving two men stranded on a remote, uninhabited island.

Although 180 miles away the 963-foot Solstice was the closest ship and was ordered by the coastguard to make the rescue.

The foursome were among the passengers who watched the drama as the mariners swam 100 yards in shark-infested water to a rescue vessel and were hoisted to safety.

The cruise was part of a round the world trip to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of Bob, 74, and Pat, 72.

They had been joined by friends Geoff, 68, and Sue, 64, of Buxton Road, in Sydney for the trip to Hawaii.

Bob, a retired banker and author of Beech Bank, said the rescue was tense and exciting.

He said: “When you are in the middle of a vast ocean hundreds of miles from anywhere, the last thing you want to hear is an emergency message from the captain at 8am. Our fears were soon allayed when he explained that at 1am the ship had received a May Day message from the coastguard to go the rescue of a yacht which had been dashed and destroyed upon the reef of a remote, uninhabited island virtually in the middle of the South Pacific.”

“Luckily one of the men had been able to contact his wife by satellite phone who had then contacted the coastguard. Maritime Law dictates that the nearest vessel must attempt to effect a rescue of any mariners in distress.

“The Solstice had to retrace its steps 180 miles to make the rescue.

“It was very tense watching the men swimming those final yards to the rescue boat as there were sharks in the water. When they were aboard a loud cheer erupted from the decks. It was very exciting but we are glad that it ended well.”

During their trip Bob and Pat also managed to spend two days in Sydney with old friends Rod and Eileen Hodkinson who left Macclesfield 50 years ago to settle in Australia.

The Burrows’, who have two children and two grandchildren, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this Friday.

Bob and Pat Burrows and Geoff and Sue Signey from Macclesfield were on the Celebrity Solstice cruise in the South Pacific when the ship received a call to help a sunken yacht.