The motorboat was on its way from Chatham to Ramsgate when it experienced engine trouble while crossing Louisa Bay in Broadstairs. The Coastguard requested that Ramsgate RNLI send out its relief all-weather boat at 2.45pm on Sunday, December 4, in response to an emergency signal. When they arrived, they discovered that the yacht had been swept closer to shore, with incoming waves breaking over its bow, and that it was in danger of sinking. The inshore Ramsgate lifeboat was then launched because it could reach shallower water. Both casualties were transferred from the yacht to the all-weather vessel, where they were taken into the wheelhouse to warm up.
