A wife rejoiced when the hat she'd 'banned' her hubby from wearing blew off his head and floated out to sea - only to later wash up and be miraculously reunited with him. Richard Beer was taking photographs along the jetty of Viking Bay in Broadstairs, Kent, when a strong gust of wind blew his favourite straw Panama into the choppy waters below.
Gutted that his favourite hat of 20 years was apparently lost at sea, dejected Richard told his wife Linda it was 'on its way to France'. An unsympathetic Linda was delighted after reportedly imposing a 'ban' on the 74-year-old wearing the 'tatty' accessory out in public.
But the retired advertising photographer was delighted when he went for a walk after his pub lunch and spotted the soggy hat hanging on a post. And after being reunited with his 'hated and shabby' chapeau, Linda had a change of heart and said he's now free to sport his now 'famous' Panama in public again.
Richard, from Dartford, Kent, said: "I'm delighted to have it back, especially after its recent episode and the fact I was almost forbidden from wearing it, which is now not the case. She'd asked me not to wear it as she thought it was too shabby and beaten up, maybe I wasn't living up to her sartorial expectations.
"It's a bit tatty, it's not exactly a prime piece of sartorial wear, it's just a straw hat. The 'ban' goes back particularly far. More often than not I'd pick it up on my way out of the house over the years, so my wife's objection to it was a bit more recent. Maybe I hadn't worn it in a while and she saw that it was getting a bit ragged around the edges."
Brazenly flouting Linda's ban, Richard sported the hat while out walking along the coast when it took off unexpectedly - fearing he'd never see it again.
Richard said: "I was out for a walk along the jetty of Viking Bay and it was really quite a breezy day. I was taking some photographs of the unusually choppy sea and the wind blew my hat off straight into the water.
"It went straight through the railings and into the sea where it started floating away. I uttered an expletive. There was no getting it back as the water was about 20 feet below where I was standing. I thought, 'that's the end of that'.
"It was impossible to retrieve. I knew it was a rising tide and thought in a vain hope that the tide would bring it onto the sandy beach. I then walked back up to the town and had lunch and a pint of beer on the seafront."
After mulling over the loss of his treasured hat, Richard messaged Linda. His text read: "My favourite hat that you hate so much is now on its way to France. Coming back at high tide to see if it comes home."
Linda responded with delight and texted by the clapping emoji. After buying a replacement hat for £10 from a nearby shop, Richard returned to the beachfront later in the day in the vain hope of being reunited with it.
His patience paid off, as after going for a walk along the beachfront he spotted his beloved hat perched on a post outside a pub.
Richard said: "About two hours later I decided to go for a walk again and walked along the beach idly thinking it might have been washed up on the shore, which it hadn't. I went round to the town end of the jetty and there was my hat sitting on a post in the sunshine outside a pub called the Tartar Frigate.
"It was still damp and very sandy, and I imagine someone had found it on the beach and put it on this post in the hope that I might find it, which I did."
Overjoyed at being reunited with his soggy hat, Richard pinged a text to Linda to 'give her the bad news'. Richard also shared it to a community Facebook page where it racked up more than 800 likes, shares and comments.
Richard's post reads: "My favourite hat went to sea off the jetty early this afternoon . . .and was saved, somehow, by a kind soul who placed it on a post near The Tartar Frigate. Retrieved a couple of hours later, damp and sandy but still serviceable .
"Thank-you, if you are in this group, but my wife will never forgive you as I have previously been banned from wearing it. Donation made to the RNLI for Stray Hats."
Linda commented: "Damn, I thought it was gone forever."
But a swell of support for the hat's return led to Linda having a change of heart about the battered Panama. Linda commented: "It's become a famous hat. I will never complain about it again."
After its adventures at sea, Richard has dubbed his hat 'Wilson' after the volleyball from Tom Hanks movie Cast Away.
Richard said: "I thought of the film Cast Away, where Tom Hanks has a volleyball called Wilson. They both survived, albeit in a beaten-up state, so I've called the hat 'Wilson'. It's back in its normal resting place, and I'll be wearing it with impunity now."
Now that Richard's reunited with his trusty headwear he wants to track down its rescuer - and treat them to a well-earned pint. Richard said: "It speaks to the kindness of strangers. It would've been really easy to just leave it or even put it in the bin.
"It would've been soaking wet and full of sand. Nobody's come forward to say, 'it was me', but if they do I'll take them for a pint - providing they can prove it was them."
