Second shout of the week for Yarmouth RNLI

Pagers sounded just before 12:30pm on Thursday 26 March and Yarmouth RNLI volunteers assembled and made best speed on their all-weather Severn Class RNLI lifeboat, 17-25 ‘Eric and Susan Hiscock – Wanderer’ to the location of the casualty.

By 12:45pm the lifeboat had arrived on scene and deployed their smaller daughter Y-class boat which can enter shallow waters with RNLI volunteers Tom and Kate onboard, who met with the Mud Rescue Team on the beach who then gave a briefing of the situation, and their plans to extract and transfer the casualty to safety.

Working together, the Coastguard team and Yarmouth crew carefully placed the casualty onboard the Y-boat and swiftly transferred the casualty on to Yarmouth Lifeboat. They were then placed onto a stretcher for the return journey to Yarmouth Harbour where the Coastguard team re-joined Yarmouth RNLI in continuing casualty care until they were met with the IOW ambulance service who would then take the casualty to St Mary’s for further treatment.

Volunteer crew Katie from Yarmouth RNLI said.

‘Conditions were perfect for the Y Boat as the sea conditions were flat, and it was easy to pick a safe, rock-free route from the Severn into the shoreline. When we reached the casualty, the Coastal Rescue Team (CRT) lead introduced us and talked us through what had happened and what actions they had taken so far, which included immobilising them and laying them flat in their yellow inflatable mud-rescue kit to prevent further injury.

Both the CRT and the RNLI crews then worked very well together as we transferred the casualty as a team to the Y Boat under Tom’s (RNLI crew) instructions in a calm and controlled manner.’

Yarmouth Lifeboat returned to their berth, cleaned down and was ready for service by 2pm.

If you find yourself, or see someone else stuck in mud along the coast, the safety advice is to:

• Stay calm.

• Sit back and spread your weight evenly across the surface to avoid sinking further.

• Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard or ask for someone to call for you.

If you’re interested in a volunteering opportunity at Yarmouth Lifeboat Station, please email [email protected]

Notes to editors

• Images include transfer of casualty onto the Y-boat with the assistance of the Coastal Rescue Team.

• Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat 17-25 Eric and Susan Hiscock (Wanderer) came into service in 2001, prior to that Yarmouth RNLI had an Arun Class Lifeboat 52-08 Joy and John Wade which was in service for 23 years.

• 2026 marks Yarmouth Station's 102nd year in service.

RNLI contact details:

• Hebe Gregory-Pimm, Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer hebe_gregory-pimm@rnli.org.uk

• Jess Curtis, Regional Communications Manager (South East & London) jess_curtis@rnli.org.uk

• Julie Rainey, Regional Communications Lead (South East) julie_rainey@rnli.org.uk

For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.