Dungeness, Kent, and Hastings, Sus- sex. At 10.12 on the night of the 1st of January, 1959, the coastguard at Fairlight informed the Hastings honor- ary secretary that two flares had been seen south-east of the look-out. At 10.45 the life-boat M.T.C. put to sea after a very difficult launch. There was a west-south-westerly gale, the sea was very rough, and it was low water.

The sky was overcast with rain squalls.

The honorary secretary at Dungeness was informed that the Hastings life- boat had been launched, and at 11.5 the Dungeness coxswain heard a distress message on his wireless. The Dungeness life-boat Mabel E. Holland was launched forty minutes later. Both life-boats found the house-boat Petrina with four people on board. Her engine had broken down. The Dunge- ness life-boat took her in tow, with the Hastings life-boat standing by. The tow-rope parted but was soon re- connected, and the Hastings life-boat escorted the Petrina and the Dungeness life-boat until they were a mile and a half north-east of Dungeness, where the Petrina was put to a safe anchorage.

The Hastings life-boat then returned to her station, arriving at 5.29, and the Dungeness life-boat reached her sta- tion at three o'clock. The owner of the Petrina made a gift to the Dungeness crew and a donation to the Institution's funds. Rewards to the crews : Dunge- ness, £18 5s.; Hastings, £20. Rewards to the helpers on shore : Dungeness, £16 16s. ; Hastings, £35 16s..