Margate, Kent. — At 8.20 on the morning of the 15th of July, 1957, the coastguard reported that a sail- ing yacht appeared to be ashore at Birchington about four and a half miles west of the look-out. Heavy rain squalls obscured the coastguard's view, and the coxswain telephoned the har- bour master, who lives at Birchington, and asked him to go to the shore and find out whether the yacht was in trouble. The harbour master went down to the shore and reported that the yacht was aground with a list, and that two men were standing on her deck. The life-boat North Foreland (Civil Service No 11) was launched at 8.45 in a heavy swell. There was a fresh to strong north-westerly wind blowing, and the tide was ebbing. The life-saving apparatus team were also called out. The life-boat reached the position and found the sailing yacht Roach of Burnham-on-Crouch.

The coxswain spoke to the two men by loud hailer and they informed him that they had anchored the night before, but the wind had changed from south-west to north-west and the yacht had driven ashore. The life- be at stood by the yacht, which began to hit the ground severely on the flooding tide. With advice from the coxswain the two men refloated the Roach, and she continued on passage to the river Blackwater. The life-boat returned to her station, arriving at 12.15, but because of the bad weather and the ebbing tide she was not rehoused until 6.30.—Rewards to the crew, £14 17*.; rewards to the helpers on shore, £6 195..