Better late than never. Then again, that phrase is something Australian brothers Sean and Brenton McGrath don’t seem to have in their vocabulary.

&uot;Aussies never say die,&uot; said Sean McGrath after finishing a 371-mile trip by skis from Memphis Friday.

The McGrath brothers water skied into Natchez five and a half hours later than expected Friday, but there was no doubt their determination to finish their record-setting 1,819-mile ski trip down the Mississippi River, which started Monday in Minnesota.

The brothers are raising money for the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society and an Australian charity designed to provide housing for families whose children are going through cancer treatments.

&uot;With each stop we make closer to the end, we’re even more determined,&uot; said Brenton, who has leukemia. &uot;We’ve never thought about giving up.&uot;

The brothers said fatigue and rough water slowed their trip Friday.

&uot;We did three and a half hours without stopping,&uot; Sean said. &uot;They kept telling us 15 more minutes and that turned into an hour and 15 minutes.&uot;

Sean said the trip has been tougher than they thought. &uot;It’s the emotional drain and fatigue more than the water,&uot; Sean said. &uot;The mental drain is tough.&uot;

The brothers have actually skied for 27 hours, making stops in Dubuque, Iowa, St. Louis, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn. They will depart Natchez at 6 a.m. today and expect to arrive in New Orleans by noon.

The record-setters will then go to the Gulf of Mexico, where they will scatter the ashes of their former skiing partner, Neville Wilson.

Wilson died of stomach cancer in January.

&uot;His last request was to distribute his ashes into the Gulf of Mexico,&uot; Sean said.

Sean said he and his brother have been skiing for two hours at a time, with a stretch of four hours and four minutes Friday. They have skied for 27 hours on the entire trip.