At 4pm on Monday 21 September, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston's Inshore lifeboat (ILB) ‘Pride of Leicester’ was tasked to a 10-metre cruiser which had run around on Breydon Water with 6 people and 2 dogs onboard. The ILB made speed to the cruiser which was found to be listing quite heavily to port. All onboard were concerned that the cruiser was going to capsize.
Rescue attempts were made by the crew but due to cruiser being very high and dry and with the fast-moving tide the crew couldn’t reach them. The crew requested assistance from the Coastguard rescue helicopter which arrived promptly to lift the 6 persons to safety. The ‘Pride of Leicester’ stayed in the area in case further assistance was required.
During the final lift of the 6th person and first dog, the second dog, Bella the Dalmatian managed to break free back onto the boat and onto the mud. The lift was in progress so had to continue without Bella.
The lifeboat crew standing by made best speed back to the casualty craft to retrieve Bella but after many attempts they could not coax her close enough to the lifeboat so HM Coastguard had to make the difficult decision to stand the crew down.
The crew reluctantly returned to station. Once back, a plan formulated to use our All-weather lifeboat (ALB)’s launch craft with outboard motor to get closer to the mud than our ILB could. The crew set off once again with the daughter ‘XP’ boat in tow.
After navigating through thick fog back on Breydon Water, the crew came upon the rescue tug from Everitt Marine Services who, in the interim with the rising tide, had managed to retrieve Trevor and were awaiting high water to tow the cruiser off the mud.
Bella was happy aboard the Everitt boat so ‘Pride of Leicester’ returned to station.
If any coastal emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
Take care near cliffs - know your route and your limitations.
Have a plan - check the weather forecast and tide times.
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 142,700 lives.
