Missing charity rowing crew found 

Source: NZPARowers Tom Wigram (L) Peter Staples, Billy Gammon and Matt Hampel

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The Rowing for Prostate charity crew who had lost contact with race organisers in the Indian Ocean several days ago are safe and well.

Michelle Staples and Rebecca Wigram, wives of crew members Matt Staples and Tom Wigram, told TV ONE's breakfast program on Friday morning that they are relieved.

Their husbands' craft was spotted by a plane on a routine patrol about 300 nautical miles off the coast of Mauritius and VHS radio contact has been made.

The race organisers and crew's families believed the issue was merely communication problems and that has proven correct.

Staples says she was always reassured that the crew had not needed to use their emergency locator beacons.

Wigram says the Kiwi-based, Britsh-born crew have faced plenty of challenges from bad weather and broken rowing seats to food shortages and several crews will not be completing the inaugural event although two have already finished safely.

The four-man boat's GPS system stopped working some time ago and the crew's satellite phone also went off-line last Friday.

The Radio Sport-sponsored crew had been reporting daily up to their 71st day at sea but the last confirmed position was received on Saturday June 27.

Rowing for Prostate's last precise position had them needing to complete 553 nautical miles but now they have only about 300 left.

The charity event was expected to take approximately 70 days and see the crews cover a distance of 5,742 kms from Geraldton, Western Australia to Mauritius.