Historic yacht used in Dunkirk evacuation to return to Poole
Estrallita is owned by Tony Billson who spent five years painstakingly restoring her
Last updated 19th May 2022
A motor yacht used to rescue Allied soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940 has set off on a journey back to Poole.
The Estrallita has been restored after being spotted in a "sorry state" in Ramsgate harbour in Kent.
Royal Navy veterans Tony Billson, Tommy Morrison and Michael Hawkins have set off from East Suffolk and are headed for Poole on a charity fundraising mission.
"She has never put me off from the challenge that I had with her"
Tony Billson said: "Even though everyone else said I'd lost my marbles buying her, considering the state that she was in, I thought 'no, no, no' - this is going to be good.
"Five years later, I've got her to a point where we can go to sea.
"This year the boat is absolutely 'tickety boo', she is ready to sail through any seas."
What's the story behind the yacht?
Tony found the Estrallita in a poor state of repair in Ramsgate, with no idea about her history, which included tragedy, celebrity, name changes and a commendable wartime record in Poole.
During his research, Tony discovered that the Estrallita was used by the Royal Navy between 1940 and 1945 as a harbour patrol boat in Poole, defended against invasion and rescued downed pilots in the English Channel.
Her duties were to protect the harbour channels, and specifically to block the channels if there was an invasion by sinking designated block ships or as a last resort to sacrifice herself to delay any advance.
Estrallita was one of six vessels deployed for this purpose but was the only one that was retained throughout the war.
It also operated as a harbour patrol vessel in Poole during the Second World War.
In 1960s the vessel was owned by Hughie Green as a place to stay during the summer season going from resort to resort and it was on one of these excursions from Shoreham to Morecombe that Green became involved in a rescue off the coast of Cornwall after spotting red flares at sea.
What does the voyage involve?
The journey will include a Dunkirk plaque-laying ceremony taking place in Portsmouth and a trip up the Thames to take part in the 40-year Falklands War commemorations.
27 to 30 May - Portsmouth
1 June - Lymington
3 June - Poole