how easy it is to sink your boat

[BartW]

How close did the sea water get to the starter motors?

Are they reasonably easy to get to? Perhaps for peace of mind take them off for a closer inspection and open them up.

after a close inspection I discovered that they are higher then expected,
so we think they were not submerged,
but they are very difficult to get at,

discussed with a Volvo service engineer, he thinks it is not necessary to get them out

will keep the bilge and the engines clean, and dry
and keep fingers crossed