A woman reported missing on Holme beach by her husband was located shortly after the Hunstanton Coastguard team arrived at the scene. She was cold, but did not require medical attention.

Hunstanton Coastguard and lifeboat were paged when a windsurfer was reported in trouble off Snettisham. Coastguards located the casualty about 400 m south of Heacham South Beach and about 200 m offshore, and guided the lifeboat to the spot. The lifeboat crew landed the casualty, cold but unhurt, at Heacham South Beach, after which Coastguards returned him and his gear to Snettisham.

Hunstanton and Sutton Bridge Coastguard teams were paged by MRCC Yarmouth when a yacht ran aground at the mouth of the river Nene. Hunstanton Lifeboat was able to drop a crew member on the sandbank to secure the vessel and talk to the yacht crew.

RAF helicopter Rescue 125 then landed alongside and took off the three crew members, who were transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn. After they had been checked over, Hunstanton Coastguard took them back to Wisbech.

A man in his 60s broke his kneecap when he fell on the boardwalk at the Titchwell RSPB reserve. Coastguards helped paramedics transfer him to the Air Ambulance for transport to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Coastguards from Hunstanton and Sutton Bridge, lifeboats from Hunstanton and Skegness, and three RAF rescue helicopters were tasked when a Tornado aircraft from RAF Marham crashed in the Wash. The two crew members ejected when their aircraft got into trouble during an exercise at Holbeach bombing range. Helicopters Rescue 125 and Rescue 128 took them to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The Coastguards’ first job was to look after the two helicopters at the QEH. They then continued to the crash site, between Terrington and Sutton Bridge, where they took charge of the Tornado crew’s lifejackets and emergency radio beacons. The aircraft was in the mud at the edge of the marsh, approximately 2 km out from the sea bank. Two members of the Sutton Bridge Coastguard team accompanied an RAF crash investigation team to the crash site. By this time the aircraft was about to be submerged by the incoming tide, so the main recovery work was postponed until the next day. The Hunstanton team was stood down at 17:30.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged after a person threatened to jump from a bridge. Police dealt with the incident and the Coastguard team was stood down almost immediately.

Hunstanton Coastguard and lifeboat turned out after a person was reported to be in trouble in the water near the lighthouse. While Coastguards scanned the sea from the clifftop, the lifeboat crew located a windsurfer making his own way back to shore. The Coastguard team met the man on the beach and checked that he did not need medical attention.

Hunstanton Coastguard helped a man and a heavily pregnant woman recover their car after it became stuck in mud on a track leading into the marshes.

Hunstanton Coastguard, Hunstanton hovercraft, police, a fire crew and RAF helicopter Rescue 125 joined in a late-night search for a 40-year-old woman reported to be in the water. After a search covering approximately 1.5 miles of Heacham north and south beaches, during which the hovercraft was damaged by a groyne, the missing person was located at an address in Snettisham.

Hunstanton lifeboat picked up an injured 20-year-old man from a fishing boat. Hunstanton Coastguard team members arranged an ambulance to take the casualty, who was suffering a suspected broken arm, to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Following a report from William Searle of the Sea Lion, MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard to say that people were trapped on a sandbank near the cliffs. Hunstanton hovercraft rescued the four casualties, who were aged between 23 and 30. One of the casualties, who has cerebral palsy, was in need of medical attention. The Coastguard team arranged an ambulance to take her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Hunstanton Coastguard attended two men aged 24 and 26 who were left drifting in a dinghy when their outboard engine broke down. Hunstanton lifeboat towed them into Brancaster.

Hunstanton Coastguard attended a dead porpoise near the river outfall. They logged its details for records collected by the Natural History Museum.

Coastguards located the two artillery shells reported to them the previous day, and a Royal Navy team destroyed them in a controlled explosion.

In the third callout of the day, Hunstanton Coastguard officers went to Thornham where a man and two boys aged 4 and 10 were cut off by the tide. They directed Hunstanton hovercraft to the scene, about 1 km east of the harbour. Once the casualties were safely ashore, the Coastguards returned them to their house in Thornham.

When a member of the public reported finding artillery shells on the beach at Titchwell, MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard. The team met the informant on the beach and learned the position of the shells, which by this time were under water. A bomb disposal team from the Royal Navy was booked to attend the following day.

Hunstanton Coastguard officers on a routine patrol were asked to investigate a report of people on the sandbanks. William Searle of the Wash Monster had told MRCC Yarmouth that he was concerned for their safety because they were a long way out and the tide had turned.

The Coastguard team directed Hunstanton Hovercraft to two separate groups of people: one a 40-year-old man with a young girl, the other a 44-year-old man with two girls aged 13 and 14. Once they were safely back on shore, the hovercraft crew checked the beach as far as Snettisham to make sure no-one else was in danger.

An ambulance crew asked for Coastguard help to move a casualty off the beach. The 64-year-old woman had injured her hip and leg when she slipped near the river outfall. A team from Hunstanton Coastguard placed the casualty on their folding rescue stretcher and used their four-wheel-drive vehicle to ferry her to the waiting ambulance.

MRCC Yarmouth asked Hunstanton Coastguard to visit an inhabitant of the caravans at Heacham who was concerned about the height of the tide. The Environment Agency had previously pointed out that tides would be very high this weekend, and that there could be a risk of flooding. Team members reassured the person that there was currently nothing to worry about, and that flood wardens would give clear instructions if the situation deteriorated. The team spent two hours checking local beaches and harbours, but found no cause for concern.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after a report that two children might be missing. Arriving on scene, the team learned that the children had been found. Two Coastguards remained in the area, which was very busy, in case of further alarms.

Hunstanton Coastguard visited Brancaster golf club after receiving a report that a paraglider pilot might be in trouble. It turned out that the pilot had been making sharp turns to lose height, but was not in any difficulty.

Hunstanton Coastguard joined Hunstanton lifeboat and hovercraft, and RAF helicopter Rescue 125, to search for a blue and white dinghy that a member of the public had reported seeing heading out to sea. The teams searched from Hunstanton to Heacham north beach without finding anything.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged when two young men on Snettisham beach were seen to be at risk of being cut off by the tide. The team persuaded the two to return to shore. Hunstanton hovercraft attended.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after a six-year-old child was reported missing. The team was stood down after the child was found safe and well.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after a child was reported missing. The team was stood down ten minutes later after the child was found safe and well.

Another report of drifting inflatable dinghies resulted in the third callout of the day for Hunstanton Coastguard. By the time the team arrived, all craft were back in safe water.

Hunstanton Coastguard and lifeboat were paged after two inflatable dinghies were seen drifting. With assistance from Coastguards, the lifeboat rescued three people in one dinghy. The occupants of the second dinghy, some of whom appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, refused help and were escorted back to shore by the lifeboat.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged by MRCC Yarmouth after a four-year-old boy was reported missing. The team was stood down before arriving on scene after the boy was found safe and well by his family.

Up to 48 sailing dinghies capsized at Hunstanton when a violent squall struck a Sailing Club regatta at around 16:30 on Saturday. Another 18 sailing craft capsized at Snettisham. All the sailors are accounted for, but it is possible that two people in a yellow speedboat are still missing. Hunstanton and Wells Coastguard teams joined Hunstanton lifeboat and hovercraft, Wells lifeboat, and helicopter Rescue 128 from RAF Leconfield to search for casualties along the coast from Snettisham to Hunstanton. The squall came from the direction of King’s Lynn. First to be hit was Snettisham, where 18 sailing craft capsized and started drifting towards Heacham. At 16:40 MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard, who set out for Heacham South Beach. On the way to Heacham the Coastguard vehicle diverted to set down crew members at Hunstanton, which by this time had also been hit by the squall. In the water at the time were 48 dinghies taking part in a regatta at Hunstanton Sailing Club. “The squall looked just like a waterspout”, said Coastguard team member Keith Twaites, who was at Hunstanton Sailing Club at the time. “It knocked the dinghies flat,” added Coastguard Station Officer Mick Wing. “The wind was force 6–7, and the first gust was so sudden that the sailors didn’t stand a chance.” Helped by the onshore wind, the 18 boats from Snettisham all reached the shore safely before the lifeboats arrived. At Hunstanton, the lifeboat and hovercraft rescued 12 people and the remainder were picked up by safety boats from the Sailing Club. At Heacham, a man reported seeing two young people in a yellow speedboat before the squall struck. By the time he had recovered his own boat, the speedboat had disappeared. Coastguards checked launching sites and harbours from Snettisham to Wells, but found no vehicles, trailers or launch reports that could be linked to the yellow speedboat. The lifeboat and helicopter crews saw no sign of a speedboat. “A craft like that might have come from Lynn or Wisbech,” said Mick Wing, “so until we have a report of someone missing there’s no more we can do.” Hunstanton Coastguard stood down at 19:30.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after an inflatable dinghy was seen drifting. Coastguards directed the crew of Hunstanton hovercraft, who found that the dinghy was empty. A search of the beach failed to discover the owner.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after an inflatable dinghy was seen drifting out to sea. Hunstanton lifeboat and hovercraft launched, and helicopter Rescue 128 from RAF Leconfield was also tasked.

By the time the Coastguard team arrived on scene, the lifeboat had picked up the inflatable and also a rubber ring, both empty. Coastguards later identified the owners of both inflatables.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after a woman seen drifting out to sea in an inflatable ring declined to be rescued by beach patrol officers. The RNLI hovercraft was launched, and Coastguards spotted the woman about 400 metres out from the powerboat ramp. Guided by the Coastguard team, the hovercraft crew were able to rescue the 33-year-old casualty and bring her safely to shore.

Coastguards and beach patrol officers used the incident to show other people on the beach the dangers of being carried out to sea by an offshore wind and a falling tide.

A 36-year-old kitesurfer suffered a broken femur when he fell around 7 metres from his kite onto the beach. A team from Hunstanton Coastguard, who were preparing to join the carnival, diverted to Old Hunstanton. They located the casualty, who was in considerable pain, on the tide line and helped paramedics get him onto the Coastguard’s folding rescue stretcher.

After the paramedics had confirmed that the leg was broken, the Coastguards organised a beach landing site for the Air Ambulance and helped the paramedics carry their equipment back to the ambulance. The Air Ambulance took the casualty to Queen Elizabeth hospital, King’s Lynn.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged after a windsurfer was reported to be in trouble. The team stood down a few minutes later after learning that the windsurfer was safely back on shore.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after a member of the public spotted a military phosphorus flare on the beach. The flare was of the aluminium can type rather than the commoner Mk 6 flare, which comes in a wooden box. A bomb disposal team drove up from Colchester and destroyed the flare in a controlled explosion at 19:30.

MRCC Yarmouth asked Hunstanton Coastguard to meet a fishing boat being escorted into King’s Lynn by Skegness lifeboat. On arriving at the Fisher Fleet, the Coastguard team found the boat already moored, and took details as requested by Yarmouth. The boat, the Lynn Princess, had sprung a leak in her forward hold when a thread stripped on a cooling water pipe.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged by MRCC Yarmouth following a report of a man in the water near the sailing club. Before arriving at the scene, they were told that police had already apprehended the man.

Following a report from a member of the public, Hunstanton Coastguard team members located three artillery shells close to the low water mark. The following morning, Coastguards set up a 300-metre exclusion zone and cleared the beach. A Royal Navy bomb disposal team then used a controlled explosion to destroy the shells.

A major search involving Hunstanton Coastguard, Hunstanton Lifeboat and two helicopters followed a report that a kite surfer or windsurfer was visible on the horizon, too far out to be able to make it back to shore. The alarm was raised by windsurfers who had gathered on a sandbank to watch the sun set. The wind was at force 5–6 and the sea was rough.

The Coastguard team searched the shoreline and car parks, hoping to find a vehicle that would give a clue to the identity of the person involved. For the airborne search, Sea King helicopter Rescue 128 from RAF Leconfield was joined by a Chinook helicopter from RAF Odiham, Hampshire, that was in the area at the time. Nothing was found at sea or on shore, and the search was called off at 23:30.

Hunstanton Coastguard returned three King Charles spaniels to their worried owners. The dogs had been running on the beach at low tide, escaped and became lost. After one team member had been bitten in the course of duty, the casualties were returned wet and frightened, but unharmed.

A 12-year-old boy who developed difficulty in walking was evacuated by stretcher from Brancaster beach by the Hunstanton Coastguard team. An ambulance was waiting at the golf club.

The Hunstanton team was paged after kite surfers were reported in difficulties near the golf club. Wells Coastguard attended and the Hunstanton team was stood down before arriving on scene.

The second missing child incident today. The team was stood down after the child was found safe and well.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged after a child was reported missing. The team was stood down after the child was found safe and well.

Another of several callouts to missing children today. All were quickly found safe and well.

Hunstanton Coastguard joined police, lifeboat and beach patrol to look for a missing boy. He was found safe and well at 13:30.

MRCC Yarmouth paged the Hunstanton team after a woman was reported to have been seen walking into the sea between Hunstanton and Snettisham. They were stood down when police found the woman.

Hunstanton and Wells Coastguard teams were called out to help search for a 32-year-old man who had gone missing in a distressed state. In the early hours of Monday morning they searched beaches and inland areas from Old Hunstanton to Burnham Deepdale, but found nothing. At 06:30 on Tuesday morning the Hunstanton team was paged again, and learned that an RAF rescue helicopter had spotted the man’s car with a tent in a small camping field near Holme. By the time the team arrived, however, the man had disappeared again.

Hunstanton Coastguard was asked by MRCC Yarmouth to help with radio communications between police and Sea King helicopter Rescue 125 from RAF Wattisham during a search for a missing child. At 21:10 the operation was stood down with the message that the child had been found safe and well.

MRCC Yarmouth phoned Hunstanton Coastguard after a member of the public reported a boat drifting off Hunstanton beach. After speaking to the first informant, Coastguard team members decided that the boat was probably Hunstanton Sailing Club’s safety boat. They also spoke to a fisherman, who had seen no other craft.

Hunstanton Coastguard attended when two vehicles were caught by the high tide on the road to the Golf Club. Hunstanton RNLI hovercraft attended but was unable to reach the scene. After checking that the three people in the vehicles were safe and well, the team returned to station.

Hunstanton Coastguard was paged by MRCC Yarmouth following a report of an oil slick in the Wash. While an aircraft from the Marine Pollution Control Unit searched the area, the Hunstanton team searched the shore from Heacham to Hunstanton. Some calm patches of sea were seen, but there was no oil on the shore and no smell. The team was stood down and the MPCU aircraft went to search the Skegness area.

Police called for help from the Coastguard and Lifeboats after finding tyre tracks leading down the bank of the river Nene about a mile north of Sutton Bridge. “It was clear from the marks that a car had gone into the water,” said Mick Wing, Hunstanton Coastguard Station Officer. Coastguard teams from Hunstanton and Sutton Bridge searched both banks of the river, while the Hunstanton hovercraft searched up to the river mouth. Nothing was found, and nobody had been reported missing. The emergency services concluded that the car had been pushed into the water and swept out by the ebb tide. This was a good team operation, with the hovercraft performing well in water that was too shallow for the lifeboat.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard when a windsurfer was spotted drifting off the Golf Club. Hunstanton Lifeboat picked up the casualty 400 m offshore. No medical assistance was needed.

MRCC Yarmouth paged Hunstanton Coastguard after a child was reported missing near the pier. The child was found within a few minutes and the team was stood down before reaching the scene.

...but when inspected by six members of the Hunstanton Coastguard team, the “live whale” turned out to be a very dead porpoise. Remember: porpoises are quite small, and whales are often quite large.

Hunstanton Coastguard and lifeboat crews scrambled when a kite surfer was reported to be in difficulties off Holme. The lifeboat rescued the casualty, a 44-year-old man, and retrieved his rig. The casualty did not need medical attention.

While out on patrol, two members of the Hunstanton Coastguard team were alerted by MRCC Yarmouth to a military phosphorus flare found by a member of the public. The flare, which was around 400 metres north of the car park, was of the aluminium-bodied type rather than the more usual wooden box. Bomb disposal experts from RAF Wittering later blew the flare up.

Two members of the Hunstanton Coastguard team were called out to inspect a large dead porpoise on the beach near Brancaster golf club. They submitted a report to the Natural History Museum, who run a survey of whale, dolphin and porpoise strandings.

Police asked for Coastguard help after a member of the public reported finding fishing equipment and food unattended on the beach. The equipment was of some value, and included two beach rods and reels. Two Coastguard team members who had been on a routine patrol checked the area and made enquiries, including at a local tackle shop, but found no clues to the owner(s) of the gear. No-one had been reported missing in the area. Some days later, a single angler came forward to explain that he had abandoned his gear when escaping from the incoming tide.

Coastguards were called out when a low loader was caught by the spring tide on the road between Brancaster and the golf club. The low loader had come to collect an excavator that had been used in the removal of the whale carcass. Seeing the water rising at the beach car park, the driver set off back towards Brancaster, not realising that the road floods from the landward side. The vehicle was soon halted by nearly a metre of water. Coastguards drove their vehicle along the sea bank and made sure the driver was safe. As the tide began to fall, a recovery truck was on its way to rescue the stranded vehicle.

Two members of the Hunstanton team joined Coastguard volunteers from Wells to help in the making of an episode of the Channel Five TV series “Britain’s Psychic Challenge”. They narrowly failed to find a boy deliberately hiding in the Holkham dunes, and reported that the task was next to impossible with the time and resources available. A tracker dog succeeded in 36 minutes. Two of the psychics also failed, but another psychic, Diane Lazarus, found the boy in an impressive 10 minutes. For now, we prefer to trust an RAF helicopter with an infra-red camera.

Following a request from MRCC Yarmouth, two Hunstanton Coastguard team members helped a rescue helicopter from RAF Kinloss land at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The helicopter was carrying medical staff involved in the treatment of a sick baby.

MRCC Yarmouth asked for help following a report that a kite surfer was flying dangerously close to people on the beach. Two members of Hunstanton Coastguard carried out a thorough beach patrol and spoke to members of the public, but were unable to corroborate the story.