The inshore lifeboat was paged following a report of a missing person, a 64 year old male with medical issues who was staying on his yacht Nareid in Brancaster harbour. His family had raised concerns that they had been unable to contact him. Hunstanton lifeboat had already been launched to assist but there was insufficient tide left on the ebb for the lifeboat to enter the harbour. Wells ILB with a crew of four launched from the boathouse at 01:04 and was off Brancaster by 01:30. The lifeboat picked its way in late on the ebbing tide and by 02:30 was well inside the harbour but still unable to reach the area where it was thought the yacht was moored. The search was then switched to the local coastguard who by now were able to walk out into the moorings. The ILB was stood down at 03:10 and set off for a low water recovery on Holkham beach. At 03:30 the coastguard located the man safe on-board his yacht. The ILB was ashore at 03:35 and rehoused by 04:40.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind W2 Sea Slight

The inshore lifeboat was paged to assist a group of 3 persons and 2 dogs cut off by the incoming tide on the high sand to the west of Wells harbour entrance. The ILB launched at 16:21 outside the boathouse and was on scene at 18:25, the people and dogs being visible from the boathouse. The lifeboat ascertained that they were all well and ferried them to the boathouse at 18:42. With the party safely ashore, the ILB was rehoused and refuelled and back ready for service by 19:00.

While this launch was taking place 2 other people in the vicinity waded back to the safety at times chest high in the water. While many are tempted to walk along the foreshore from Holkham beach (or down the side of the harbour channel) at low water, the sands out by the harbour entrance currently get cut off quickly by the incoming tide which fills lower ground out of sight and behind walkers before this bit of beach starts to get covered. Visitors in this area should take care to return to the main beach as soon as the tide begins to run into the harbour (roughly 4 hours before high water) or when the beach siren sounds. See our updated safety map for more information.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight

The inshore lifeboat was paged to assist a group of persons and dogs cut off on the sands to the west of the harbour entrance. The group made their own way ashore as the ILB was being launched so the lifeboat was stood down and rehoused after a brief check to ensure no-one else was in potential difficulty. The sand to the west of the harbour entrance is presently quickly cut off as the tide begins to flow, with the water flooding in behind and out of sight of any walkers right out at the foreshore and harbour entrance. See our updated safety map for more information.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight

Humber Coastguard paged the all-weather lifeboat to assist a 45' motor cruiser Viking 2 on passage from Lowestoft to Hull which had got into difficulties off Titchwell. The vessel was making no headway in choppy conditions and two of the four crew onboard were suffering badly from seasickness. The lifeboat launched outside the boathouse at 15:49 and proceeded out of the harbour and set course to rendezvous with the cruiser. The lifeboat sighted the cruiser at 16:16 and was alongside at 16:22. Two crew members were placed onboard to assess the situation. As the cruiser was seemingly operating well under power, it was decided that the lifeboat crew would promptly navigate the vessel to the safety of Wells while there was still sufficient tide to enter the harbour. The cruiser set course for Wells at 16:28, with the lifeboat escorting, and was safely moored on the pontoons in the the outer harbour at 16:46. The crew onboard required no medical attention and recovered from their seasickness once they reached more sheltered waters. The lifeboat returned to station and was ashore at 16:56 and rehoused and refuelled at 18:30.

Weather Overcast Visibility Moderate Wind W4 Sea Slight

Humber Coastguard paged both Wells lifeboats for an immediate launch after they had received a distress call by mobile phone from a person whose boat was sinking to the north of Brancaster Golf Club. The phone conversation was cut off while the person was trying to provide further details. The Inshore lifeboat launched at 06:40 followed by tha l-AlWeather Lifeboat at 06:47 and both boats headed for Brancaster at full speed.

At 07:00 Humber Coatguard received a call from the skipper of the boat who had managed to swim ashore and contact them using the emergency contact phone located outside the golf club indicating that he was alright but his boat, a 16-foot speedboat, had sunk.

The Inshore Lifeboat was on scene at 07:10 and rendezvoused with the skipper on the beach. He was wet and cold. Once he had confirmed the position of the sunken boat, the inshore Lifeboat took him up to the slipway at Brancaster Staithe as the beach road was flooded on the Spring tide. He was met there by the waiting Coastguard team at 07:30.

The Inshore Lifeboat had managed to mark the sunken boat with a lifejacket attached to a mooring line and had passed its position to the All-Weather Lifbeoat. The ALB arrived at 07:28 and quickly located the sunken boat. The stern of the speedboat was on the seabed as the boat had a powerful outboard attached however internal buoyancy within the hull meant that the bow was just floating on the surface of the water.

The speedboat was deemed to be a danger to shipping. When the ILB returned alongside the ALB, it was decided that the crew would get a line on the speedboat and try to tow it to the foreshore. Once the tow line was fast, the All-Weather Lifeboat commenced the tow toward the beach subsequently passing it to the Inshore Lifeboat when the water started to shallow toward the beach. The Inshore Lifeboat managed tow in and beach the craft and then the crew were able to work the vessel further up the beach till it was high and dry as each rolling swell came onto the beach. With the speedboat safely made fast on the shore to enable further recovery and no longer a danger, the lifeboats left the scene at 08:30 and returned to station. The lifeboats were ashore outside the Boathouse at 09:05 and were washed down, rehoused and refuelled by 10:00.

Weather Overcast Visibility Moderate Wind E3 Sea Slight

The 8m yacht Fantasma contacted Humber Coastguard when some 10 nautical miles north of Titchwell. The yacht, with one person aboard, was in difficulty with an apparent gearbox failure, unable to make headway under sail and rolling heavily in the seaway. The All-Weather Lifeboat was paged at 11:05 and left the boathouse at 11:26 for a low-water launch in Holkham bay. The lifeboat launched at 11:57 and proceeded towards the last reported position of the yacht just north-east of the Burnham Flats buoy. Arriving alongside at 12:45, a member of the lifeboat crew was transferred onboard and a tow rigged. The lifeboat towed the yacht to the approaches to Wells where it had to wait for around 40 minutes for the evening tide to flood sufficiently to be able to safely enter the harbour channel. The yacht was brought safely alongside the pontoons in the outer harbour and at 16:45 the lifeboat returned to the boathouse where it was recovered, refuelled and rehoused.

Weather Overcast Visibility Moderate Wind E3-4 Sea Slight

The inshore lifeboat was paged for a group of 8 people plus dogs cut off by the incoming tide on the sands to the west side of Wells harbour entrance. The boat launched outside the boathouse at 16:27 and proceeded toward the harbour entrance and was on scene at 16:34, the group being clearly visible from the boathouse. Some of the party had managed to wade to the safety of the main beach, leaving 3 persons and 3 dogs on the high sands to be rescued. Having ascertained the group were all well, the lifeboat ferried them to the beach at 16:42. The ILB then returned to station and was washed down, rehoused and back on service again at 17:00.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight

Both Wells lifeboats were on a routine exercise in Wells harbour when the local NCI Coastwatch lookout identified a windsurfer in difficulty, unable to sail back to the foreshore in a strong ENE wind. Humber Coastguard asked the ILB to attend at 11:45 and the lifeboat was on-scene at 11:48. The windsurfer was found to be alright but unable to recover his board. The ILB ferried the windsurfer to the beach and then, with the aid of a fellow windsurfer, brought his board ashore as well. The ILB then returned to station at 11:58. The all-weather lifeboat stood by in case further support was needed before also returning to station.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind ENE5-6 Sea Slight

The inshore lifeboat was paged to assist two kayaks who were reported by a local ferry operator to be at risk of being swept out to sea by the ebbing tide at Blakeney harbour entrance. The ILB launched outside the boathouse at 12:42 but was stood down shortly after as it had been ascertained that the kayakers were now back in the safety of the harbour channel.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind ENE4 Sea Slight

Wells Inshore Lifeboat was paged to 2 persons and a dog cut off by the tide in the marshes at Stiffkey. The ILB launched just before high water outside the boathouse at 19:15 and proceeded east along the coast. The local coastguard team had sight of the persons who had used the what3words phone app to help pinpoint their position. The coastguards were able to help guide the ILB into the creeks and to the casualties by 19:36. The unharmed persons were taken on-board and ferried across the creek to the waiting coastguards. The ILB returned to Wells, arriving at 19:57 and being washed down, rehoused and refuelled by 20:30.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind S3 Sea Slight

A 999 call to the Coastguard reporting 4-5 persons cut off by the incoming tide opposite Wells beach huts prompted a second callout for the inshore lifeboat. The ILB launched outside the boathouse at 16:01 but no persons in difficulty in the reported location could be seen. The ILB proceeded to check along the channel and then west along the foreshore where, at 16:10, one person was found cut off. The person was landed into the care of the beach warden at 16:20. The ILB made further checks before returning to station at 16:28. It was recovered and rehoused by 17:00.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind S2 Sea Slight

The inshore lifeboat was paged to a report of 2 persons and a dog cut off in the harbour channel at low water. As the crew assembled, it was ascertained that the persons were safe and the boat was stood down.