Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. — At 7 o'clock in the morning of the 17th of July, 1948, the Totland coastguard telephoned that the British steamer Royal Sovereign had reported that she had in tow the motor yacht Firefly, of St. Helier, whose engines had broken down while she was cruising to the Channel Islands. She had a crew of three. The steamer gave their position as twenty-one miles south-west of St.

Catherine's Point and asked that the life-boat take over the tow. A fresh south-westerly breeze was blowing, with"'a~ moderate sea. At 7.23 the motor life-boat S.G.E. was launched.

A destroyer also went out. The Royal Sovereign later wirelessed that she had left the Firefly with a French yacht and a Panamanian steamer standing by her. The destroyer and the life- boat found the Firefly about fourteen miles south of The Needles, and at the destroyer's request the life-boat took the Firefly in tow. She arrived back at her station at 5.30 that evening.

The owner of the yacht made a donation to the funds of the Institution.—Re- wards, £19 0*. 6d..