Dinghy off Jaywick

Clacton’s “D” class lifeboat (D-599) was called out mid-afternoon on the 16th September 2002 when two men were seen drifting in a small rubber dinghy off Jaywick. Their engine had failed and they were using two small oars to get themselves to shore. The lifeboat saw them safely to the beach.

  23/09/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Catamarans caught-out by weather 

Clacton’s “D” class lifeboat (D-599) was called shortly before 2pm today 6th Sept 2002 when two catamarans from the Gunfleet Sailing Club were caught by force six westerly winds off Clacton. They were returning from a sail to Brightlingsea when one of them was capsized and dismasted off the West beach  and was driven under the pier. The second craft lowered sail in an attempt to drift ashore. The lifeboat rescued the first man, and went to the aid of the second taking his boat in tow and landing both men and the craft at the sailing club. They then returned to the first catamaran and took that in tow landing on the East beach where the Coastguard mobile unit was able to pull it up the sand. Because of the conditions the “D” class was also beached on the east side of the pier and recovered onto its trailer. The boat was back on station at 2.30pm.

 06/09/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Drifting dingy

Clacton’s Atlantic 75 lifeboat (B-744) was launched at 8pm this evening when coastguards were alerted after a dinghy was seen drifting off Jaywick. Not sure if anyone was on board, the lifeboat was sent to investigate. It was found that the 14foot fishing dinghy was unmanned, and was taken in tow and beached at Jaywick were the owner was waiting. The lifeboat was back on station at 9.15pm.

28/08/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Busy Bank Holiday for Clacton’s Lifeboats.

On Wednesday the 21st of August the “D” class lifeboat (D-599) was called at 3.15pm when two children were spotted in difficulty in a small inflatable dingy of Jaywick. They were taken safely ashore.

Thursday the 22nd saw the Lifeboats on stand-by for the Clacton Airshow. During the afternoon the “D” class assisted a speed boat with a flat battery of the Kingscliff at Holland-on-Sea, towing him to the mooring buoy alongside the pier, where he was able to arrange for a new battery.

The “D” class then went to the aid of another speedboat unable to start his engine after having watched the air display. He was taken in tow to Frinton.

The “Atlantic 75” (B-744) was called to give assistance to a yacht when a young child became seasick.

The 23rd saw both boats in action when a yacht, the “Moffet of Orwell” who had been anchored of the West beach to watch the airshow , fouled its rudder on the mooring line of one of the temporary marker buoys used during the show.

On Saturday the 24th the “75” was called just before 10pm when the 18foot Cornish shrimper “Omeros” lost its way in the Colne Estuary. The vessel was found on the Mersey flats, off Mersey Island, and was escorted to Brightlingsea.

The “75” launched on exercise on Sunday evening, when they scattered the ashes of a local man a few hundred yards off the end of the pier.

Monday the 26th, and the “75” was called at 4.15pm when a dingy was reported in trouble of Point Clear. However they were recalled after a local craft gave assistance.

At 00.44am on Tuesday the 27th the “75” was called when a man walking his dog at Lion Point, Jaywick, reported seeing a man running into the sea. A search of the area was started, but was called off when the man made himself known to the mobile Coastguard unit.

28/08/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Clacton Pier

Shortly before 4.30 on the 12th August 2002, Clacton’s “D” class lifeboat (D-599) was launched to assist the beach patrol boat in a search after two people were seen jumping from Clacton pier. Reports were sketchy as to where exactly they had jumped from on the pier , so a search was made to cover the whole area. Nothing was found and it was assumed that the two people had made it back to the beach

12/08/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Jet-skier rescued.

The alarm was raised at 6pm on Sunday 21st July 2002 when a jet-skier was reported broken down with engine failure several miles off the Clacton coast. His friend had tried to tow him ashore but found he would not have sufficient fuel to get all the way back. Leaving his friend he returned to shore to alert the Coastguard, who asked the Clacton and Walton lifeboats to launch and also called the rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham. Not knowing exactly where the jet-skiers had broken, the lifeboats began a sweep search along the Gunfleet Sands and the East Swin channel. At 8pm a report was received from a coaster, the “Clara” that they had spotted the man and his ski in the water 12 miles south of Clacton in the Barrow Deep. The helicopter picked him up and landed him at Clacton airfield. The jet-ski was taken in tow by Walton lifeboat and brought back to shore at Martello Bay. Judging by the state of the tide and the time the man had been drifting, it was thought that he must have been in the area of the West Sunk buoy when his engine failed.

30/07/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Dinghies hit by squall

Clacton’s “Atlantic 75” lifeboat (B-744) was called by the Coastguard at 4pm on the 20th July 2002 after several dinghies were over-turned when a squall hit the Colne Estuary between Brightlingsea and Colne Point. The air-sea rescue helicopter and the harbour masters launches were also called and spent more than an hour checking that there was no-one trapped under the up-turned boats and that those who had managed to get ashore were uninjured and all accounted for. This is the start of Pyefleet Week, so lets hope we don’t get too many blows like this!

The lifeboat was back on station at 7.30pm.

26/07/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Broken-down speedboat

Clacton’s “Atlantic 75” lifeboat (B-744) was called at 5.15 on the evening of the 19th July to go to the aid of a man in a speedboat. The boat was drifting off Hutleys Beach at St. Osyth with engine failure, and was taken in tow to Point Clear from where it had launched earlier. The lifeboat was back on station at 7pm.

26/07/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Man Falls of Pier

The Clacton-on-Sea “D” class lifeboat (D-599) was launched on the afternoon of the 15th July 2002 at 2.20 to rescue a man who had fallen from the end of the pier. He was found to be suffering from the effects of the cold water, and was taken ashore at the West Beach where he was met by an ambulance and paramedics.

 26/07/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

18 Foot Clinker Boat

Clacton’s Atlantic 75 Lifeboat (B-744) was called at 5.30pm on Sunday 30th June 2002 to a yacht which was being driven on-shore by the wind and tide. The 18 foot clinker built boat was on passage from Ipswich to Brightlingsea when off St Osyth the one man on board found he was unable to make headway and decided to drop anchor. Unfortunately with the wind blowing force 6 to 7 and the tide having turned the anchor was unable to prevent the vessel drifting and when the lifeboat arrived was only 30 feet off Hutley’s Beach. With the surf  breaking all around, the lifeboat crew managed to get a line aboard and prevent the vessel grounding but had a hard job to raise the anchor and heavy chain. Eventually the yacht was pulled into deeper water and with one of the lifeboat crew on board was towed into Brightlingsea. The Lifeboat was back on station at 8pm.

  01/07/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Workboat in River Colne

Clacton’s Atlantic 75 (B-744) lifeboat was called at 18:00Hrs on the 28th June 2002 to a workboat which had lost power in the river Colne off Brightlingsea. The workboat was towing a rowing boat belonging to Colchester Sea Cadets back to their base at the Hythe when the engine failed. They were assisted by a local yacht which managed to hold them against the tide until the lifeboat arrived and took them to Brightlingsea.

On the way back to Clacton the Coastguard asked the lifeboat crew to check-out a dingy reported to be adrift about a mile out to sea. The dingy was found to have no-one on board and was towed to Clacton pier where it was put ashore.

 29/06/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Motor Cruiser Stranger

On Tuesday 19th March 2002 Clactons Atlantic 75 Lifeboat (B-744) went to the assistance of the 40 foot motor cruiser “Stranger”. She was on passage from Ramsgate to Brightlingsea, and being unsure of the channels had moored alongside the Knoll buoy about 2 and 3/4 miles off Point Clear. The Lifeboat reached her at 7.30pm and escorted her into Brightlingsea. The Lifeboat was back on station at 9.50pm.

20/03/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

Olympic49

Clacton’s Atlantic 75 Lifeboat (B-744) was called at 1pm today when two people were reported in difficulties in a sailing dinghy off Sandy Point, St Osyth. On arriving at the scene the lifeboat crew found that the rescue boat from Brightlingsea Sailing Club was assisting as it was their members in the 16 foot “Olympic49” dinghy. Because of the risk of hypothermia in the strong wind and choppy sea the Lifeboat escorted the two craft back to Brightlingsea. The Lifeboat was back on station at 2.45pm.

 09/02/2002 Mel Winger (Press Officer)

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