SAILING COBLE TAKEN IN TOW Newbiggin, Northumberland. At 2.41 on the afternoon of the 12th April, 1963, the coastguard informed the honorary secretary that the sailing coble Egret, which was on a pleasure trip from Amble to Blyth, was making little headway two miles east of Newbiggin Point and in view of the deteriorating weather advised the launching of the life-boat. There was a westerly wind of near gale force and a choppy sea. The tide was half flood. The life-boat Richard Ashley was launched at 2.55 and found the Egret with a crew of two, one of whom appeared to be ill.

A message was sent asking for a doctor to stand by ashore, and the life-boat took the sailing coble in tow. When the two men were landed, the honorary medical adviser examined the sick man, who was then taken by ambulance to hospital, from which he was released two hours later. The life-boat reached her station at 4.30. The Amble life-boat had been launched earlier to the Egret after she had left Amble and had begun to drift, but by the time the life-boat reached her in Druiridge Bay the Egret's crew had managed to make headway again and did not then need help..