RNLI Harwich Lifeboat Station

04/11/2026

This Remembrance Sunday, 8 November, and on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November, our station will be remembering all those who served, including those who were lost at sea.

At 11am on Armistice Day, our volunteer crew will lay a wreath afloat as the country falls silent, weather and operational requirements permitting.

We will remember them.

28/10/2026

We had an amazing turnout for our volunteer evening, lots of keen and enthusiastic people 🧡

Looking forward to welcoming some new crew members to Harwich lifeboat station soon.

28/10/2026

Three sleeps to go! 🎆

The Harwich Guy Carnival is on Saturday 31 October and our lifeboat float will be part of the procession. The procession sets off from Ainger Road at 6.30pm, heads through Dovercourt with a stop at ASDA around 7.30pm, passes Park Pavilion at 8pm and finishes in West Street, Harwich, at 8.30pm. Find your spot and give our volunteer crew a wave and a cheer as we go past!

27/10/2026

Plenty of you are still swimming through the autumn, off Dovercourt and around the harbour, and we can see the appeal. The water’s getting colder now, though. Sea temperatures around the UK average about 12°C, and anything below 15°C can bring on cold water shock, so here are a few tips from our RNLI volunteer crew to help you get the most out of your swims this winter.

🧡A brightly coloured swim hat and a tow float make you much easier to spot from the shore or the water.
☎️A phone in a waterproof pouch clipped to your tow float means you’ve always got a way to call for help.
🌊It’s worth checking the weather forecast and tide times before you head out, as conditions can change quickly.
😀Swimming with friends is safer (and more fun), and it’s always a good idea to let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll be back.
🏊Easing in slowly gives your body time to adjust to the cold.
🏖️Staying close to the shore and getting out before you feel cold means you’ll be ready to go again next time.

If you ever find yourself struggling, Float to Live. Tilt your head back with your ears under the water, try to relax, and spread your arms and legs. Once your breathing settles, you can call for help or swim to safety.

And if you spot someone else in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard rather than going in after them.

Happy swimming, and we hope to see you on the beach.

25/10/2026

It’s been a busy weekend for our volunteer crews as Storm Austen blew through.

On Saturday morning at 10.50am, our inshore lifeboat Tierney, Harvey and Sonny Reid launched to reports of two people in the water off Felixstowe. Thankfully they turned out to be open water swimmers who were absolutely fine, and the 999 call had been made with good intent.

This morning the pagers went again at 10.17am, this time for a kite surfer in trouble off Erwarton Ness on the River Stour. Conditions out there were rough, to put it mildly and the kite surfer had become separated from their board and was shouting for help. They managed to get safely ashore, so we were stood down on the way.

Then at 10.53am, HM Coastguard asked us to check on a sailing boat reported adrift close by. It was first thought someone might be aboard, but when the crew got there it was empty and safely at anchor.

Once the weather settled, the crew still made it along to the Haven Ports Yacht Club fundraising day. A big thank you to everyone there for supporting the charity.

If you ever see someone in trouble in the water, or think you might have, call 999 and ask for the coastguard. Please don’t go in yourself. Our RNLI crews would always rather launch and find everyone safe.

24/10/2026

23/10/2026

Tomorrow's the day! 🎉

We'll be at the Haven Ports Yacht Club RNLI Autumn Fair on Saturday 24 October, and we're bringing both lifeboats with us. We're aiming to arrive around 12 noon.

Come down and see our all-weather lifeboat Albert Brown and our B class lifeboat Tierney, Harvey and Sonny Reid up close, meet some of our volunteer crew, and have a look round the RNLI stall for a few early Christmas bits.

Every penny raised helps keep our volunteer crew trained, kitted out and ready to launch, so thank you to the yacht club for running this event, and to everyone who comes along.

Please bear in mind our visit is subject to the weather and operational requirements. If our pagers go off, the lifeboats will be needed elsewhere!

22/10/2026

We’re looking for volunteers 💙

Not everyone who helps save lives at sea goes out on the lifeboat. Everything our crew does at Harwich is paid for by donations, and two roles are open right now for people who’d like to help raise that money.

🛍️ Shop Volunteer

Serving in our Harwich RNLI shop, chatting with visitors about the station and passing on our safety advice. For a lot of people, the shop is the first time they come across the RNLI, so a friendly face behind the counter really does matter. Every Christmas card and mug sold goes towards keeping our crew kitted out and ready to launch.

🎉 Branch Fundraising Member

Joining our local fundraising team to plan and run events in and around Harwich and Dovercourt. You’ll have support from an RNLI Community Manager, but the team decides what it gets up to. Got an idea for an event? This is the place for it.

No experience needed for either role, just a bit of time and some enthusiasm. You’ll get training, meet a great bunch of people and know the money you raise is going straight back into the lifeboat on your doorstep.

Find out more and apply here:
Shop Volunteer 👉 https://volunteer.rnli.org/opportunities/107374-shop-volunteer-harwich-2026-02-05
Branch Fundraising Member 👉 https://volunteer.rnli.org/opportunities/107994-branch-fundraising-member-harwich-2026-02-12

Know someone who’d be perfect? Tag them below or share this post 👇

22/10/2026

Storm Austen: please take care on the coast this Friday ⚠️🌊

Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, reaches us on Friday. The worst of it is hitting the south and west, but we’re still in for a rough day here.

The Met Office has a yellow wind warning out for Suffolk & Essex from 10am to 9pm on Friday. Gusts of up to 50mph are forecast along the coast, including Felixstowe, right across the harbour from us. It’s going to feel bitter too, with wind chill of around -7°C overnight into Saturday. More wind and rain is likely over the weekend.

If you’re heading down to Ha’penny Pier, the Quay, Dovercourt seafront or the breakwaters to watch the waves, please keep well back. Spray and big waves can knock you off your feet or wash you in, and harbour walls and slipways get slippery fast.

Our RNLI Water Safety Manager, Ross Macleod, put it simply: stay vigilant and don’t take unnecessary risks.

If you end up in the water, Float to Live. Fight the urge to swim hard or thrash about. Lean back, spread your arms and legs, and float until you get your breath back.

If you see someone else in trouble, remember Phone, Float, Throw. Call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. Tell them to float on their back. Throw them something that floats if you can do it safely. Don’t go in after them.

With half-term around the corner, please check the forecast and tide times before you go and keep a close eye on children and dogs near the water.

Stay safe 💙
Harwich RNLI

21/10/2026

This summer the RNLI had a garden at the very first RHS Sandringham Flower Show, and one of our own was behind the camera.

The garden, Swim Between the Flags, was designed by Chloe Erskine to mark 25 years of RNLI lifeguards. The space between the red and yellow flags is where our lifeguards judge it's safest to swim, and that's what the garden was built around. Our Lifeboat Press Officer, Adam Prescott, was asked to take the photographs for the RNLI, including the moment His Majesty The King, our Patron, and Her Majesty The Queen stopped by to meet Chloe.

RNLI lifeguards started patrolling in 2001. Today they cover more than 240 beaches across the UK and Channel Islands, and they've saved over 2,000 lives along the way. Plenty of their work never makes the news, because it's about stopping people getting into trouble in the first place.

Happy 25th to our lifeguard colleagues. Next time you're on the beach, find the flags and swim between them. 🔴🟡