Harwich RNLI in night time rescue of motor cruiser off the Suffolk coastline
On Tuesday evening Harwich RNLI volunteers brought a motor cruiser and its two occupants safely into Shotley Marina, after responding to a Pan-Pan call 10 miles off Felixstowe.
The charity’s volunteers were paged at 8:45pm on Tuesday 16 November after UK Coastguard had received a Pan-Pan call (urgent help required, but no immediate danger). An eight metre motor cruiser with two people on board had run out of fuel 10 miles north east of Felixstowe’s Landguard Point while on route to Ipswich from Lowestoft.
The charity’s Severn Class all-weather lifeboat Albert Brown was swiftly launched. The whole time the lifeboat was travelling the stricken vessel continued to drift swiftly due to tide and wind, which meant it was six miles east of Orfordness when the lifeboat caught up with it.
Once alongside and the casualties were assessed, it was deemed the safest option was to take the vessel under tow to Shotley Marina, where they were met by volunteers from the Holbrook Coastguard Rescue Team at the marina’s lock at 00:30am on Wednesday morning.
While the run up to the Christmas period is often a quieter time for the volunteer crew members, the same can’t be said for those who dedicate themselves to generating vital funds by ensuring the gift shop is always a welcoming place to visit.
Anyone wishing to join the volunteers running the shop, and do their bit to save lives at sea can pop in for a chat, or email the Lifeboat Operations Manager at: [email protected]
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact:
Richard Wigley, RNLI Harwich volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07903424698 or [email protected],
Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer on 07824518641 or [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, 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.