LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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Sea Eagle II

SEARCH IN BAY Dungeness, Kent. At 3.10 p.m. on 25th July, 1965, the Lade coastguard reported that a small sailing yacht had capsized off St. Mary's Bay and that a yawl was circling about four miles north-east of Dungeness. At 3.25 the life-boat Mabel E, Holland was launched and made for the bay in a strong west-north-west wind, choppy sea and low tide. A helicopter was airborne and took part in the search, but found nothing. The life-boat also found no sign of a yacht in St. Mary's Bay and made for the yawl, which proved not to be in need of help. But at 4.45 the lifeboat received a message from the coastguard that the yawl had picked up the crew of two from the catamaran Sea Eagle II of Folkestone, which was drifting four-and-a-half miles east-north-east of Dungeness. The life-boat towed the catamaran to Dungeness, reaching her station at 7.35 p.m..