AT 8.28 on the evening of 16th October, 1967, the coastguard told the acting honorary secretary of the Clacton-on-Sea life-boat station, Mr. C. A. Perry, that a red flare had been sighted at the entrance to the River Blackwater. The maroons were fired at 8.40.

At that time the strength of the west south westerly wind was force 5 or 6, but it was increasing steadily. The sea was moderate to rough, and there was a moderate swell. There were rain squalls, but visibility was fair. The tide was half flood.

At 9.20 the life-boat Sir Godfrey Baring, which is one of the 46-foot 9-inch Watson class, put out. After a passage of about six miles she reached the entrance to the River Blackwater, but there was no sign of the casualty, and the life-boat began a search.

At 10.12 Walton coastguard passed a message from air traffic control at Southend that 10 minutes earlier an aircraft had reported a red flare three miles east of Burnham-on-Crouch. The life-boat made for this position, and after a passage of eight miles against a flood tide and a rough sea she reached the South Buxey buoy shortly after 11 o'clock.

A parachute flare was fired, and the life-boat began a search towards the entrance to the River Crouch. At 12.10 a red flare was sighted about one mile west of the Sunken Buxey buoy. Twenty minutes later the life-boat found the catamaran at anchor one mile from this buoy. She was lying head to sea, yawing, pitching violently, and ranging to her cable, with seas breaking over her bow. Her sails, standing and running gear were carried away and her engines were waterlogged.

The wind had veered to the south west and was gusting to force 10. There was a very rough and confused sea, and heavy rain squalls now made visibility poor.

High water in the Whittaker Channel was at 12.28, and the tide was virtually slack.

The searchlight was played on the Yana and the life-boat then approached her on her port side. Coxswain George Ellis ordered the engines to be put ahead to keep the life-boat alongside, and seven men, six of whom were policemen, were taken off. One elderly man still remained, and he seemed reluctant to leave the yacht. Coxswain Ellis skilfully manoeuvred the life-boat alongside again and this time the last man was taken off.

LEFT AT ANCHOR The survivors asked to be landed at Wallasea Bay, and in view of the weather conditions Coxswain Ellis decided to anchor off Hilliwell Point until first light rather than risk navigating the sparsely lit channel of the River Crouch in the dark. The Yana was left anchored as it would have been impossible to take her in tow under the conditions prevailing.

The eight survivors were landed at Wallasea Bay at 8.2 and an hour and a quarter later the life-boat left for Brightlingsea. The wind remained in the south west, its strength being force 9 during the return passage. The sea was very rough, and Coxswain Ellis decided to stream the drogue from the Sunken Buxey buoy until the life-boat arrived off Clacton at 12.15.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Coxswain George Ellis.

Certificates on vellum recording their part in the service have been issued to the other members of the crew. They are Second Coxswain Charles Bolingbroke, Bowman Arthur Griggs, Motor Mechanic Clarence Marshall, Assistant Mechanic William Dale, and crew members A. Harman, J. Bolingbroke, and E. Cobb..