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Cromer RNLI and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI aid yacht in distress

Lifeboats News Release

Cromer RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) Lester was tasked by Humber Coastguard at 7.41am on Saturday 13 July to aid a yacht in distress.

Cromer ALB launching

Harry Simpson

A service call involving volunteers from both Cromer RNLI and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI lasted almost 17 hours, involving both stations’ all-weather lifeboats.

The casualty vessel was initially reported as 40 miles North, North-East of Cromer. The sea state was moderate with 2-3 metre waves. The volunteer Cromer crew mustered and the ALB launched at 7:52am and made best speed to the reported location.

Lester arrived at 10:21am and once on scene, Coxswain, Danny Cherry assessed the situation and ascertained the wellbeing of the five crew onboard.

The yacht’s rudder had snapped off, leaving the vessel with no steerage. The decision was made to tow, given the size of the boat and the inherent risk of its location in the Hewitt gas field. With the direction of the tide and wind, it was decided to tow the boat to Lowestoft.

Due to the total loss of the rudder, the decision was made to add a casualty drogue behind the stricken yacht to aid stability at a steady 5-6 knots.

The Coastguard then tasked Great Yarmouth and Gorleston’s ALB Trent class Samarbeta to rendezvous with Cromer’s ALB in the gas field. Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat launched at 4:00pm and made their way up the East coast.

They arrived on scene at the handover location, 20 miles East of Cromer at 6:15pm. Cromer’s ALB slipped their tow and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston’s crew established a new tow before setting off to Lowestoft.

Cromer ALB returned to station at 7:50pm and was made ready for service by 8:24pm after 12 hours at sea.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston’s ALB continued the tow South at around 6 knots. It was decided on passage to take the casualty vessel to Great Yarmouth’s Town Hall Quay for safe mooring and the vessels arrived there at approximately 00:15am Sunday morning.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Lifeboat was back in her pen ready for service at 00:30am.

Danny Cherry, Coxswain at Cromer RNLI, said: 'Once again our extensive training ensured we were able to assist the yacht and ensure the safety of its five crew. With the sea state and the location of the yacht, the safest decision was to tow. The crew did a fantastic job on a shout that lasted over 12 hours for us. It also demonstrates how we worked as a team with HM Coastguard and our colleagues at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI to locate and safely return the stricken vessel and its crew to shore.'

Rod Wells, 2nd Coxswain at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI and Coxswain for this particular shout said: 'It was a long slow process getting the stricken yacht back to Great Yarmouth due to its instability so I decided to strap the yacht alongside the lifeboat to negotiate getting them safely through the pierhead.'


RNLI Media contacts

For more information, please contact Clare Stagg, Cromer Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected] or telephone: 07866 436464

Ben Penning, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Press Officer: [email protected] or telephone: 01493 662508


RNLI/Ben Penning

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI's ALB Trent class ‘Samarbeta’ heading to rendezvous with Cromer RNLI

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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.

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