Happisburgh lifeboat crew members pictured earlier this year during a visit by RNLI chief executive Paul Boissier

A lifeboat crew from Happisburgh who rushed to help after reports of a yacht in trouble last night found a sleeping sailor aboard who had forgotten to turn on his vessel’s lights.

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The crew were called out at about 10.10pm by the Coastguard who had received reports of a yacht listing, possibly on the sands and with no lights showing, about a mile off Happisburgh Town Gap.

Happisburgh launched its RNLI inshore lifeboat which was quickly alongside the 10.5m-long yacht which they discovered to be at anchor.

A lifeboat crew member boarded and found a lone sailor asleep. He later explained that he had not been making any headway against the tide and wind and so had anchored, not realising his navigational lights were not on. The crew gave the yachtsman safety advice and returned to base.