BOAT WAS OVERDUE Walmer, Kent. During the afternoon of igth November, 1963, the coastguard and local boatmen received reports that a local drift net fishing boat was overdue with a strong offshore gale blowing up.

The boat was last seen one mile and a half north of the Deal coastguard lookout, driving seawards towards the Brake Sands.

The launching of the life-boat was delayed because the fishing boat was known to have flares on board and the boat had not made any distress signal. The lifeboat Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No. 32) was launched at 5.20 p.m. as darkness was falling, in a rough sea and an ebbing tide, and found the fishing boat Kirby by use of parachute flares about 400 yards off the Brake Sands, near B.2 buoy. Her engine had broken down and she was dragging her anchor. The boat, which had a crew of three, was taken in tow to Deal. The life-boat arrived back at her station at 7.25..