Lifeboat crew rescue man stranded out at sea

Lowestoft lifeboat crew prepare to carry out the rescue off Pakefield. Picture: RNLI / Mick Howes (Image: Archant)

Rescuers were called to Pakefield, near Lowestoft at around 8.25pm on Sunday after receiving a report a person was in trouble in the sea.

Police, an RNLI lifeboat crew, the coastguard rescue team and the East of England Ambulance service came together to rescue the person from the cold conditions.

Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain John Fox, said: "Our volunteer crew was called at 8.25pm and soon headed to the beach at Pakefield where we were given directions to the where the person had been seen.

"We then located a man about a quarter of a mile offshore and threw a flotation aid to him."

According to Mr Fox, one of the crew lowered themselves over the side and encouraged the man to place the rescue strap around himself.

With an 'A' frame and block and tackle - which is a pulley system with a rope or cable threaded between - the rescue crew winched him out of the water and onto the deck.

Mr Fox said: "He said that he had been in the water some time and was getting cold so we wrapped him in a blanket and brought him into the wheelhouse where we turned the heaters on to warm him before speeding back to the lifeboat station where an ambulance crew were waiting to attend to him.

"By coincidence we had been out on our regular training session this morning and were practising this very life saving method with a dummy - so it just shows the value of rehearsing rescue techniques."

This was the second time the lifeboat crew were called into action over the weekend after a yacht was in distress and drifting into a sandbank on Saturday afternoon.

The yacht was struggling to make headway against the tide and was drifting close to a sandbank.

On the rescue, Mr Fox said: "The two people on board the yacht said that were having a problem with their engine and were struggling to make headway against the tide."