How hard candies helped a woman stranded at sea to survive

A New Zealand woman survived at sea in an inflatable boat for almost two days nothing but hard candies, her mother told a local outlet.

Kushila Stein got lost at sea off southeastern Greece in the Aegean Sea.

Stein didn't have water, but she did have hard candies in her day pack, which she rationed out during the 37 hours she was stranded at sea.

"I still have one lolly left mum," Stein told her mother when she was rescued, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The 47-year-old was in the middle of a weeks-long trip with a man named Mike, to deliver a yacht from southern Turkey to Athens. Three weeks into the trip, Stein rowed to an island to take a walk, the Herald reported.

She texted late Friday afternoon to say that she was rowing back to the ship. On the way, she lost an oar and drifted away. When Stein still wasn't back the next morning, Mike raised the alarm.

Luckily, Stein is a trained sailor and knew what to do.

Stein dried out her socks, wrapped herself in plastic bags and flashed a mirror as planes flew overhead. She tried everything to get found and rescued, according to the Herald.

Since Stein had no water, dehydration could be a concern because it happens so quickly. A person can generally survive just three days without water, according to Medical News Today.

Without water, the candies were Stein's source of survival.

The Hellenic Coast Guard launched an extensive search, and she was finally found after nearly two days. She still had one candy left in case she had to spend a third night at sea, the Herald reported.

"She told me: 'I did everything I could to survive,'" Stein's mother said.