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Lowestoft Lifeboat, Lowestoft Lifeboat Station c/o Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club, South Pier, Royal Plain, Lowestoft (2026)

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Lowestoft Lifeboat Station C/o Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club, South Pier, Royal Plain

02/06/2026

Lowestoft Lifeboat crew's training was interrupted by a call to help a stranded yacht on Sunday.

The volunteer RNLI crew were in the middle of a regular Sunday morning training session at sea on their lifeboat ‘Patsy Knight’ when HM Coastguard tasked them to go and see what help they could give to the yacht that had radioed to say they had engine failure
Lifeboat Coxswain John Fox said “we were called at around 11.00am and as we were only three miles away from the vessel, which was one nautical mile off Pakefield, we soon reached the
11 metre British yacht and found the two crew were unable to start their engine - which would be needed to safely negotiate the harbour entrance.

We assessed their predicament and as their boat would have become a navigational hazard and with no commercial assistance forthcoming, the safest action was to tow them to the nearby harbour.

We brought the yacht back into Lowestoft and to a mooring
in the Trawl Dock just before midday.”

A lifeboat spokesman added “this show the benefit of regular training as the crew were able to put some of what they had learnt into practice.”

28/05/2026

Lowestoft Lifeboat crew were called out yesterday to help a yacht that had lost all power.
The yacht with two people on board was stranded without power off the Suffolk coast and had to be helped by a nearby wind farm crew transfer vessel and a lifeboat crew to bring them to safety.
The 10 metre yacht had initially broken down two miles south- east of Lowestoft Harbour and a windfarm crew transfer vessel had responded to a call for help and taken the stranded craft in tow until the lifeboat could take over from them.
The volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew was called at 5.40pm on Wednesday 27 May and quickly launched their lifeboat Patsy Knight and soon reached the yacht which by then was a mile east of the pier heads.
A lifeboat spokesman said “ there was a brisk wind and a moderate sea with a four foot swell and the coxswain assessed the yacht’s situation and as it was in a busy shipping lane the safest action was to take over the tow.
He added the crew transfer vessel had done a great job by helping the yacht and passed on his thanks to them.
The yacht was finally brought into harbour and moored by 6.40pm.
Photos by Lowestoft RNLI

18/05/2026

It was a very long lifeboat callout for our crew to aid a stranded and rudderless yacht recently.
A Dutch yacht off the Suffolk coast had lost its rudder, had no steering and needed help.
Lowestoft RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were called out at 7.55pm on Friday 15 May to go to the aid of the 11-metre yacht that was stranded Northeast of the Galloper windfarm, and 32 miles from Lowestoft.
Our RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain said “after HM Coastguard received a message requesting assistance from the skipper of the yacht and with no nearby commercial help forthcoming, we were tasked to launch our lifeboat ‘Patsy Knight’ to go and see how we could help.

It took us just over an hour to reach the Dutch sailing vessel and the four people on board told us that they had left the River Orwell that morning and had just passed the windfarm when they lost their rudder but didn’t know how this had happened. Another yacht had thrown them a line and was helping to hold them in place and stop them drifting when we arrived.

We assessed their predicament and as their boat was a navigational hazard unable to steer and zig-zagging from side to side in a shipping lane while also being close to a windfarm, the safest action was to tow them to a nearby harbour.

We deployed what is called a ‘casualty drogue’. This is an inverted cone shaped device which is dragged through the water at the stern of the rudderless yacht to stabilise its movements.

We then began the long tow back to Lowestoft. It was quite breezy, and the sea was lumpy with a big tide running, as we made our way but because the yacht was still tending to move from side to side, we were only able to travel at four knots.

Fortunately, the tide eventually turned and after towing for over eight hours we reached our home port and moored the yacht on the Heritage Quay in Lowestoft just before six o’ clock in the morning.”

A lifeboat spokesman added “This was a particularly long mission for the volunteer crew, some of whom had been called from a fundraising lifeboat quiz in Oulton Broad to respond to this call for help - which showed their selflessness in being ready to respond whenever the pagers alert them, to save lives at sea.”

11/05/2026

Lifeboat called to stranded shellfish boat - Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat Patsy Knight was called at 6.47pm on Friday evening (May 8th) to a 10-metre vessel that had been harvesting shellfish in the North Sea when their boat suffered fuel problems and power failure and needed assistance.

The Lowestoft Lifeboat Coxswain said “after the vessel’s skipper had alerted the coastguard to his predicament and with no response to their radio broadcast for urgent commercial assistance, we quickly responded and located the stranded craft six and a half miles south-east of Lowestoft.

On reaching the helpless vessel our volunteer crew assessed the situation and as the whelk boat was without power in a shipping lane and a potential navigational hazard, we decided that the safest course of action was to tow the boat to the nearest harbour at Lowestoft.”

"With favourable sea conditions the whelk boat was brought into Waveney dock arriving just before 9pm."

A lifeboat spokesman added “This was the second whelk boat that Lowestoft RNLI had helped in four days, but the crew of the boat in difficulty did exactly the right thing by calling for help as soon as possible. There's lots more water safety advice to be found on the RNLI charity's website www.rnli.org.uk.”

Library photo of Lowestoft RNLI lifeboat 'Patsy Knight' returning from a past night time callout

08/05/2026

The RNLI’s Lifeboat Station in Lowestoft is looking for a volunteer to lead the existing team in the role of Lifeboat Operations Manager.

Lowestoft is one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland. Many notable rescues have been carried out during Lowestoft's history, including the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk, and the crews have received 45 awards for gallantry.

Volunteering for this role will help us save lives at sea by carrying out the day to day management of the lifeboat station to ensure a permanent state of readiness for service.

Click on this link to find out more:
http://volunteering.rnli.org/vacancy/lifeboat-operations-manager---lowestoft-611130.html

06/05/2026

Lowestoft lifeboat crew were alerted at 8.53pm on Monday evening (May 4th) to go to the aid of a stranded boat harvesting shellfish in the North Sea.
Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat Patsy Knight was called to the whelk boat in difficulties and stranded off the Suffolk coast.
The crew of three on the 10-metre vessel had sought assistance after their boat suffered machinery failure resulting in loss of propulsion.
Our lifeboat Coxswain said “after the vessel’s skipper had alerted the coastguard to their problem and with no commercial assistance forthcoming we quickly responded and located the stranded craft 12 miles south-east of Lowestoft. Once on the scene our volunteer crew assessed the situation and due to the whelk boat being a navigational hazard in a shipping lane, we decided that the safest course of action was to carry out a tow and bring the vessel to the nearest safe harbour at Lowestoft.”
After a slow tow taking four hours, the whelk boat from North Norfolk was brought into Waveney dock arriving at 2.00am.

A lifeboat spokesman added “Regular crew training was key to being able to effect this tow and bring the vessel to safety.”

Library photo shows Lowestoft Lifeboat returning from a previous night time callout

17/04/2026

The volunteer crew of Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat ‘Patsy Knight’ and a coastguard rescue helicopter were called out at 5.30pm today to investigate a digital distress radio signal coming from the south of Lowestoft.
A thorough search was carried out from the pier heads to Pakefield but no one was found to be in trouble.
It was suspected that the signal had been inadvertently activated.
The helicopter was then stood down and the lifeboat returned to its mooring on South Pier at 6.30pm.
Although this was a false alarm - the lifeboat crew would always prefer to launch and check - just in case.
Thanks to Su Collins for permission to use the photos

03/04/2026

A well-travelled solo yachtsman was helped by Lowestoft RNLI lifeboat after being stranded at sea with engine failure.
The yachtsman, originally from Great Yarmouth, was helped on the final stages of his journey back to East Anglia after suffering engine failure - with his vessel in danger of grounding.
The volunteer crew of Lowestoft RNLI relief lifeboat Storm Rider was called at 8.20am on 3 April 2026.
The Coxswain said, “we soon reached the 30ft yacht which had heaved to and was five miles south east of the port and off Kessingland. We put a member of our crew onto the yacht to help and the single-handed sailor told him that he had sailed from Ramsgate and had been at sea for four days. His engine had stopped the previous evening."
“There was a fresh southerly force four wind blowing and a good sea swell. It was agreed that it was necessary and the safest option to tow the yacht, because it had damaged sails and couldn’t use wind power anymore, and with no engine there was a danger of drifting onto a sandbank.”
“The skipper told us that he was about to come full circle having left Great Yarmouth in 1987 and sailed in a different yacht to Cyprus and all around the Mediterranean then went to live in Ireland for a while and was heading back to East Anglia and was nearly home when he got into difficulties.”
The yacht was brought into harbour and moored on the Heritage Quay by 10.40am
A lifeboat spokesman added, “As a lifesaving charity our crews train for all types of weather conditions and with that competence were very able to help this sailor to get to safety.”

02/03/2026

Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat crew rescue lone sailor from yacht on rocks
The volunteer crew of Lowestoft RNLI lifeboat were called from their beds at 4.41am (Monday, 2 March 2026) to go to the aid of a yachtsman who was in trouble off Ness Point just a short distance from Lowestoft harbour entrance.
Relief all-weather Shannon class lifeboat Storm Rider was quickly launched and soon reached the yacht which was on the rocks on the seaward side and adjacent to Hamilton Dock.”
The vessel, with waves breaking over it, was firmly aground with its keel wedged in the rocks, so the coxswain manoeuvred the lifeboat bow towards the stranded yacht and the crew managed to pull the sailor onto the lifeboat and to safety.
Within minutes the sailor was brought to the lifeboat station where he was met by Police and the Coastguard Rescue Team. Although soaking wet he was grateful to be safe and somewhere warm and dry while he waited for a relative to collect him.
The sailor said that he had set off in his 10m yacht from the River Orwell near Felixstowe two days ago heading for North Norfolk but had got lost and had suffered seasickness.
A lifeboat spokesman said” the sailor was very unlucky as if the yacht had come ashore a short distance further south, he would have been on the beach. The rescue proves the value of regular training for the crew who are ready 24/7 to respond to calls for help to save lives at sea.”

13/02/2026

The RNLI’s Lifeboat Station in Lowestoft is looking for a volunteer to join the existing team in the role of Lifeboat Management Group Chair.
Please follow the link to find out more.
Thank You

http://volunteering.rnli.org/vacancy/lifeboat-management-group-chair---lowestoft-604968.html

Lowestoft Lifeboat

02/06/2026

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18/05/2026

11/05/2026

08/05/2026

06/05/2026

17/04/2026

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