3 sailors reach land safely after sharks nearly sink their catamaran in the Coral Sea

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Three round-the-world sailors have reached land safely after sharks nearly sank their catamaran in the Coral Sea. Both of the inflatable hulls on their 30-foot boat were damaged by what were thought to  be cookiecutter sharks. It’s a small species not considered dangerous to people. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority coordinated the rescue of the sailors after they activated an emergency beacon on Wednesday. A freight ship landed them at a Sunshine Coast harbor on Thursday. The men had left St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2021 and had been sailing from the Pacific nation of Vanuatu to Cairns, Australia, when they got into trouble.