Yacht holed A YACHT SEEN TO FIRE a red flare, about \\ miles seawards of the Coastguard lookout was reported to the honorary secretary of Walmer lifeboat station at 1130 on Wednesday, September 1. It was almost flat calm when, at 1137, the ILB launched to investigate.

Thirteen minutes later she was alongside the casualty, the yacht Ay Bee Gee on passage to Calais. Ay Bee Gee was low in the water and four of her crew were immediately taken on board theILB, leaving the skipper on board to man the pumps. Meanwhile, the Coastguard had reported to the honorary secretary that the yacht appeared to have been holed and that an RAF rescue helicopter, on routine exercise off Margate, was also on its way.

At 1145, Walmer's 37' 6" Rother lifeboat Hampshire Rose was launched, reaching the casualty at 1205. Second Coxswain Cyril Williams and Crew Member Brian Clark were put aboard Ay Bee Gee to help pump and the four crew taken off by the ILB were transferred to Hampshire Rose.

By this time, Ay Bee Gee was well down by the stern. A towline was passed and secured and the skipper and Brian Clark were taken off and transferred to Hampshire Rose, leaving Second Coxswain Williams to look after the yacht while under tow.

After discussion with the Coastguard and having regard to the state of the casualty, it was decided to make for the lifeboat station and the adjacent beaches; it might be necessary to run the casualty aground.

By 1245 a mile of towing had been successfully accomplished and lifeboat and tow were just abeam of the lifeboat station when the yacht gave a roll, lurched badly and sank on an even keel some 150 yards north east of the lifeboat slipway; her masts remained showing above water. Second Coxswain Williams was thrown into the water but was safely picked up by his colleagues in a matter of minutes.

At 1430, having secured the sunken yacht and passed a line ashore, Hampshire Rose returned to her station with the five survivors. The ILB, which had acted as escort during the period of the tow, remained afloat, salvaging bits andpieces and further securing the yacht and finally returned to her station and was rehoused at 1500.

Ashore in the lifeboathouse the yacht's owner, a Shoreline member who had often taken part in fund raising for the RNLI, was highly complimentary and thankful for all that had been done for him, his passengers and his boat by RNLI personnel and the Coastguard.

It appears that Ay Bee Gee was about two miles south of the South Goodwin Lightvessel when she struck a submerged object. She had already turned shorewards to get out of the shipping lane off the south end of the Goodwins when the mishap occurred, so her skipper kept going, with the bows pointing at the Coastguard lookout on the cliffs, while he fired flares.

The sunken yacht was subsequently recovered..