Rescue 2003

28/09/2003 at 17:21

Report of a dog in the water near the Martello pub and that a member of the public was swimming out to save the dog. The lifeboat was under way and 1min from the scene when it was informed that the dog and person were ashore safe and well. The lifeboat was then stood down

Clacton’s Atlantic 75 lifeboat launched shortly before 3pm today after a drilling platform making test borings on the Gunfleet Sands began to list. The floating rig has four jack-up legs and the two front ones had sunk three meters into the sand giving a list of about thirty degrees to the platform. The platform is owned by Seacore and was taking seabed samples as part of the development of an off-shore wind farm.

Six men were on the rig and the lifeboat found four of them had launched their own safety boat, leaving two men on the rig. They were taken off by the lifeboat and all six were put aboard the Walton and Frinton lifeboat which had now arrived. The rig supervisor and his deputy then asked to go back to the rig to make a damage assessment and Clacton lifeboat stood by while this was carried-out, returning the men to the Walton boat.

At 4.30pm Clacton lifeboat returned to the pier boathouse with two of the rig crew, and after changing crew herself , returned to the platform and stood by with the Walton boat until the tug “Herman” arrived. The remaining four rig crew were transferred to the tug, and both lifeboats were stood down.

The platform was refloated on the high tide and taken to Felixstowe for closer inspection.

20/09/2003 19.13 wind s/w/ 4/5

Report of someone shouting for help in the area of Brooklands Jaywick. An area search was carried out with nothing found coastguards agreed possible hoax.

31/08/2003 18.40 wind variable 1/2

Called to 2 boys in a small dingy hanging on to Lion Point reef breakwater. Both boys were recovered and landed back on the beach.

August 30. Launched at 11:30 to a broken-down jet ski off Jaywick. On arrival the jet-ski had drifted ashore and was refloated and towed to Butlins Launch ramp.

August 28. A “Mayday” call was received from a 34 foot yacht which had run aground near the Whitaker Number 6 Buoy, off the Foulness Sands. She was refloated and escorted to Burnham-on-Crouch.

August 24. Launched at 10:30 after a dinghy was reported capsized near Batemans Tower at Brightlingsea. Two people were found in the water, very cold and exhausted. They were taken ashore at Point Clear to receive medical attention. The lifeboat then returned to pick up the dinghy, which was also towed to Point Clear. On their way back to Clacton the crew were called to a dinghy with two people on board with engine trouble off Jaywick. They were taken in tow and landed at Martello Bay, Clacton.

August 18. Called at 18:10 after the smack “Joseph T” reported she was taking water 1/2 mile east of Colne Point buoy, in the Colne estuary. Walton lifeboat was also launched and took the vessel in tow to Brightlingsea. Meanwhile the Clacton boat was asked to investigate reports of a boat adrift off East Mersey. They found a 20 foot sailing boat with no-one on board 1/2 mile off Mersey scout camp in the river Blackwater at 19:25, and towed it into Brightlingsea. The lifeboat arrived back at Clacton at 20:35.

August 17. Launched at 14:15 after a number of people were reported stranded on Sandy point, a sand bar off St Osyth. Seven people picked-up and landed at Orchards Caravan Park.

August 16. Called at 1350 after a 30 foot motor yacht was reported broken-down 3/4 of a mile off Clacton pier. Taken in tow to Brightlingsea. Back on station at 1625.

August 15. Launched at 1407 to a 16 foot motor cruiser aground on Jaywick beach. Towed into deep water and escorted to Point Clear, St Osyth. Lifeboat returned at 1610.

02/08/2003 14:23 wind s/e 1/2

Report of a 17yr old boy in trouble swimming of the old Butlins site as the boat arrived on scene the boy had made is way safely to the beach to awaiting coastguard mobile.

RTN TO STN 14.35

05/08/2003 16:08

Called to 6 teenage boys cut off by the tide at ray creek .arrived on scene to find that 2 boys had made their own way ashore the 4 other boys where taken on board the d class and put ashore at point clear to awaiting coastguards. All the boys were found to be well and lifeboat rtn.

RETURN TO STN 17.30

01/10/2003 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

07/08/2003 9:49am

Report of a swimmer 1 mile east of Clacton Pier 300yds off the beach hanging onto a dan-bouy. The lifeboat arrived on scene to find a 30 yr old male had swam out too far and was not able to swim back in . The man was put on the d-class and was found to be very cold, lifeboat requested that a ambulance be called to meet the lifeboat on the beach next to Clacton pier .The swimmer was landed ashore were he was checked over by paramedics and released. The lifeboat then returned.

01/10/2003 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

09/08/2003 17:05 wind south 1/2

Launched to assist Clacton beach patrol with a report of persons in trouble under Clacton pier 2 persons recovered by beach patrol and transferred to d-class and brought ashore then continued to search under the pier to look for any other swimmers, no one else was found and all units stood down.

14/08/2003 15:07 WIND N/E 1

Report of woman swimmer in trouble off Jaywick . Clacton coastguard arrived on scene first to find swimmer ashore safely The lifeboat was stood down and when returning to station came across 2 young boys in a blow up dingy 600yds off the Martello beach the 2 boys were taken onboard the lifeboat and landed back on the beach.

16/08/2003 15:22

Launched to assist Clacton beach patrol, the Police, Coastguards and Police helicopter in the search for missing 6yr old girl last seen by the water at Martello bay the other units had been searching for 45mins before the boat was requested after a further 30mins the girl was found over a mile away at Jaywick on the beach safe and well.

01/10/2003 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

19/08/2003 20:50 WIND SOUTH 1/2

Clacton Police requested Lifeboat after man was seen by public walking out to sea (suicide) when lifeboat arrived on scene police had managed to talk the man out and lifeboat was stood down .

July 17. Called at 1605 to investigate a report of red flares seen in the area of Flag Creek, St Osyth. Carried out search but nothing found. Back on station at 1730.

10/07/2003 19:00 ( D CLASS NAMING DAY)

Report of a swimmer in trouble off Jaywick Rock breakwater. The lifeboat arrived on scene to find the swimmer was in fact a mooring buoy.

12/07/2003 22:42 wind s/w 3/4

Called to a 18ft yacht banging up along the east side of Clacton Pier (no persons on board) taken under tow and put on lifeboat mooring . Owner had come ashore in tender, left tender on pier slipway not telling anyone. Owner turned up two days later to recover tender, by this time for safety reasons the yacht had been towed to B/sea for safe mooring, where the owner later collected the yacht no reason ever given why he left the yacht in the way he did.

RETURNED TO STATION ON THE SAME NIGHT (12th) AT 23.30

13/07/2003 18:00 n/e 3/4

The lifeboat had just launched on exercise when tasked on service to a blow up dingy drifting off Clacton golf course. The lifeboat arrived to find no person on board. The dingy was taken to the beach and handed to awaiting coastguards. The owners were safe and well on the beach. The lifeboat then carried on with its exercise.

15/07/2003 18:20 s/w 2

A kite surfer in trouble off the Martello bay. The lifeboat arrived on scene to find the surfer was safely on the beach. Coastguards also called to the beach.

20/07/2003 17:30 wind s/w 3

Launched to assist Atlantic 75 with Yacht aground at Hutleys beach, as the yacht was high and dry it was agreed the d-class could stand down and that the 75 would return early morning to watch yacht refloated on next tide.

July 20. Launched at 1755 after report received of yacht aground at Hutleys Beach, St Osyth. Found the 19 foot “Mud Skipper” hard aground and unable to re-float. Returned next morning at 0500 and assisted to re-float her on the high tide. Back on station at 0600.

Clacton’s “D” class lifeboat was launched Sat 12th July at 10.30pm when the yacht “Tumbledown” was reported drifting into Clacton pier. Nobody was on board the vessel, so to prevent further damage she was moored to the R.N.L.I. buoy off the slipway. She was towed to Brightlingsea as part of the lifeboats weekly exercise by the Atlantic 75 later that evening.

During the same exercise the “D” class lifeboat was asked by the coastguards to investigate a rubber dingy floating off Clacton golf course. Again there was nobody on board, and the dingy was put ashore.

25/07/2003 17:41 wind n/e 3/4

A capsized 14 foot sailing dingy off Martello bay. Two persons recovered from the water and taken ashore to waiting Coastguard mobile lifeboat then re-launched to dingy, took it under tow and put her on the Martello beach.

Clacton’s Atlantic 75 lifeboat launched on exercise at 10am on Sunday 22nd June 2003. At 1030 they were called by Thames Coastguard to a 37foot yacht “Lady Cressida” which had run aground on the Gunfleet sands some four miles off the coast. On arrival they found the yacht hard up on the sand, and after making sure the three people on board were ok it was agreed they would return on the flood tide and see the craft safely off.

Having just returned to the boathouse they were again called, this time to assist the Walton beach patrol with a sunken speedboat off the beach at Frinton. The occupants were all ashore and the boat was towed as close to the beach as possible to be recovered at low water.

The lifeboat returned to Clacton to be refuelled, and at 1.30pm returned to the Gunfleet sands along with the Walton lifeboat to see the “Lady Cressida” off the sands and back into deep water.

The lifeboat was back at the boathouse by 3.30pm and the rest of the day was spent sorting-out an intermittent engine problem which resulted in he port engine having to be changed. Another busy day in the life of the Clacton lifeboat!