With the boat still travelling at a rate of knots, a winchman is lowered delicately until he is able to reach out and gently touch the vessel.

This time, the life-saving precision skills on display were – thankfully – just for practice, as crews from the Hunstanton Lifeboat and the new search and rescue helicopter staged a mock rescue in the waters of The Wash.

They were taking part in their first exercise involving the rescue aircraft, which is taking over duties from the RAF. Crowds lined the promenade to watch the spectacle, which also involved the rescue hovercraft.

Rod Hicks from the Hunstanton Lifeboat Station said: 'This exercise is so important because everyone needs to be fully prepared before it comes to doing this for real.'

The helicopter provider for search and rescue operations is now Bristows, which used a Sikorsky S-92 based in Humberside for the hour-long session.

A video of the crew in action has also been uploaded on the RNLI Hunstanton Facebook Page.