Wells inshore lifeboat was paged by Humber Coastguard to go to the assistance of three persons reported being swept out to sea in the approaches to Burnham Overy garbour. Th e ILB launched outside the boathouse at 12:15 on the ebbing tide and headed down the harbour channel towards Burnham Overy. While en-route, the sailing vessel Helena Johns in the vicinity had managed to pick up two persons from the water.

The lifeboat arrived at the harbour entrance at 12:26 and went alongside the Helena Johns to pick up the two swimmers (father and son) who had been in the water. Having ascertained they were safe and well, the ILB headed to the shore at Gun Hill where other family members were located. Concerns were for another family member who had also entered the water to aid the two swimmers however it was ascertained that he had already returned to the shore. Th elifeboat crew remained with the family until the local Coastguard team arrived and, with all well, left at 12:50 to return to the lifeboat station. Returning on the last of the ebbing tide, the ILB was ashore at 13:03 and washed down, rehoused and refuelled by 13:40.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind SE3 Sea Slight

The all-weather lifeboat was requested to go to the aid of the 30ft motor cruiser Pamela Ma with three people onboard, which had broken down one mile to the north of Brancaster harbour entrance. The lifeboat launched outside the boathouse on the ebbing tide at 19:20 and arrived on scene at 20:05. A tow was rigged and the boats arrived back at Wells harbour where the tow was shortened up in the channel before the cruiser was safely moored aongside in the Outer Harbour at 21:45. The lifeboat then returned to the station and was refuelled, rehoused and ready again for service at 23:00.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind SE2 Sea Slight

The Coastguard paged Wells' inshore lifeboat for the third time in a day, asking for the crew to be placed on immediate readiness to assist three people who had found themselves on the wrong side of Wells harbour channel as darkness fell. Arriving at the boathouse, the crew quickly identifed the persons on Bob Hall sands opposite the NCI Coastwatch lookout shining the lights on their mobile phones. With very little water left in the harbour, the ILB launched into the harbour channel at 10:48 and met up with the casualties at 10:53. The three persons were brought onboard and ferried to the beach in front of the boathouse where they were met by the Wells Coastguard team and the lifeboat recovered and rehoused.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind SE2 Sea Calm

The inshore lifeboat was paged following a report of a person clinging to a buoy in the entrance channel to Overy harbour off Gun Hill on the ebbing tide. The inshore lifeboat launched at 17:24 outside the boathouse. In the interim, the first informant had decided to go to the assistance of the person in the water, leaving a child on the foreshore with members of the public but soon realised the decision was the wrong one; fortunately, they managed to get a footing onto a spit of sand on the far side of the channel. Another member of the public entered the water to assist but also realised the danger and returned to shore.

Hunstanton Hovercraft and coasguard teams from Wells and Hunstanton had also been tasked but, arriving at 17:38, the ILB quickly located the person clinging to the last starboard buoy at the habour entrance and the second person on the sand spit up to their waist in water. Both were taken aboard and transferred to the foreshore and into the care of the local coastguard team. Although both people were uninjured, the swimmer was exhausted at the time of being rescued and in considerable danger of having been carried out to sea by the strong ebb current.

The ILB was released at 17:55 and was rehoused and refuelled by 18:45.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind E3 Sea Slight

The inshore lifeboat crew were paged to a report of person cut off by the tide but the launch was cancelled while the crew en-route as it was learned that the person had made their own way ashore.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind E3 Sea Slight

Humber Coastguard paged Wells all-weather lifeboat to rendezvous with the fishing vessel Comrade with two fishermen onboard who had had an incident onboard their own boat Brooke Erin and had unfortunately inhaled Hydrogen Sulphide gas from defective batteries in near still sea conditions.

The fishermen had contacted Comrade by mobile phone to raise the alarm and request immediate assistance. Another Wells fishing boat Predator was nearby and quickly took the two fisherman on-board away from the Brooke Erin. Comrade took the Brooke Erin under tow and the two fishermen were transferred from Predator before heading for Wells. Wells all-weather lifeboat lauched outside the boathouse at 08:29 and proceeded to meet up with Comrade at 09:02. The two fishermen were taken onto the lifeboat and assessed. Although physically alright, they were suffering from the effects of gas inhalation and both were put on oxygen. The lifeboat proceeded inwards at 09:05 and arrived in the outer harbour pontoons at 09:37 where the two fisherman were transferred to he boathouse to await the arrival of an ambulance. Paramedics arrived at 09:45 and after further medical evaluation it was felt best if the fishermen went to hospital to ensure they had not any lasting effects from the gas inhalation. The lifeboat returned to station and was ashore at 09:55 and refuelled, rehoused and ready for service again at 11:15. The two fishermen were subsequently released from hospital that evening to recover at home.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW2 Sea Slight

At 06:35 on Sunday 4th July, Humber Coastguard paged Wells all-weather lifeboat regarding a 22-foot bilge keel yacht Kata No 1 with 3 persons onboard taking on water on passage from Boston to Wells. The crew had made a Mayday call and Hunstanton Lifeboat was immediately tasked and had managed to plug the leak and pump the yacht dry before taking the casualty under tow. The intention was to transfer the tow to Wells to bring the yacht into Wells harbour on the next tide in the afternoon.

With Hunstanton lifeboat making good progress in calm conditions, the decision was taken to launch the inshore lifeboat instead of the all-weather boat. The ILB launched outside the boathouse on the last of the ebb at 07:35 and rendezvoused with Hunstanton lifeboat and the casualty vessel at 07:55 where they then proceeded to a safe anchorage in Holkham Bay. At 08:16 with the yacht safely at anchor and the crew all well, both lifeboats left the scene and proceeded back to their respective stations. The crew mustered again at 11:30 and the ILB launched on the first of the tide outside the boathouse, arriving at the yacht at 12:30. A tow was rigged and the ILB made its way into Wells, with the yacht safely moored on the Quay pontoons at 13:19. The ILB was rehoused, refuelled and ready again for service at 14:00.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind SW3 Sea Slight

Wells Coastwatch alerted Humber Coastguard to a 6m speedboat with two persons onboard that had experienced engine failure in the outer harbour and had drifted in gusting offshore winds onto Bob Hall Sands opposite the Coastwatch lookout. Continuing efforts to restart the outboard engine were unsuccessful and with the craft already aground as high water approached, there was concern that the boat and its crew would not be able to return to safety once the water started to drain quickly off Bob Hall sands as the tide ebbed. The coastguard paged the Wells inshore lifeboat at 17:42 and the ILB with a crew of three launched outside the boathouse at 17:54. With the speedboat in sight, the ILB was quickly on scene and it was decided the best course of action was to establish a tow, refloat the speedboat and take it back to the safety of the quay. Both boats arrived safely alongside the town pontoons at 18:26 and the lifeboat was back ashore 18:36 and rehoused and ready again for service at 19:00.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind S5 Sea Slight

Wells all-weather lifeboat was paged by Humber Coastguard to assist a 9.7m yacht Thalmia which was passage between Lowestoft and Wells with one person onboard. The yacht had been under power, with light winds from the north-west, and had picked up a rope that had become entangled around her propeller disabling the craft.

The lifeboat launched at 15:38 on high-water and proceeded towards the last position of the yacht which was offshore between Salthouse and Weybourne. The lifeboat sighted the yacht at 16:20 and went alongside the craft which by this time had drifted a further two miles eastward in the seaway. The lifeboat put a crewmember onboard and assessed the situation. With the headwind expected to remain light overnight, the best course of action was decided to tow the vessel to Wells. The tow commenced at 16:50 and the lifeboat and yacht arrived off the harbour entrance at 18:50 where they just managed to get across the bar on the last of the ebbing tide and safely into the harbour. The yacht was made fast on a swinging mooring and the crewmember was transferred back to the lifeboat which then went ashore for recovery at 19:20.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW2 Sea Slight