South Eastern Division Catamaran in Distress A WELL-REEFED CATAMARAN making heavy weather two-and-a-half miles off St Margaret's, Kent, was seen by the Coastguard at 9.10 a.m. on Sunday, October 21, 1973. Dover lifeboat station was put on alert, but it was not until 2.18 p.m. that a Korean trawler reported the catamaran to be in real trouble seven-and-a-half miles from the station on a bearing of 170°. The lifeboat Faithful Forester was launched immediately.

It was just before low water and the sea was rough with a strong to near gale force north north westerly wind.

The catamaran, reached at 3.10, was identified as Jeanine of Hamble on passage from Hamble to Queenborough with a crew of three. Her sails had been ripped by the heavy winds of the previous day and night and her engine had failed. Unfortunately she carried no flares or signal flags to call for assistance and had been drifting more or less helplessly for many hours. The crew had tried to attract the attention of passing ships, but all to no avail; their waving anoraks had been taken as afriendly greeting, and the owner, his wife and their passenger were becoming desperate and exhausted. The catamaran was taken in tow at 3.30 and reached the safety of Dover harbour at 4.50. The lifeboat returned to her station at 5.41..