Latest NEws

Caister Lifeboat will open to the public on Easter Sunday with a new range of clothing and souvenirs going on sale. New T-shirts featuring the Never Turn Back motto and another design showcasing Caister's all-weather boats since becoming an independent charity. Delivery of the T-shirts are due in the next few days and pre-orders will be packed and posted as soon as they arrive. Other gifts, including three new designs of mugs to complement our existing one to make a full set of four, will also be launched. Cushions, bearing our image, will make a perfect accessory for the home or holiday caravan and a new range of teddy bears to comfort young and old. The new Medina Class lifeboat features in some of the designs, including a new pin badge - something we have been unable to stock owing to design and supply issues in the past. However, visitors are being warned that with construction works on site until mid-May - to allow for the new boat - access may be restricted or involve a diversion. That, along with some supply issues and the installation of new till systems, has caused a slight delay in getting opened this year. We would like to apologise to anyone who has missed us being open as early as we usually would.

Caister Lifeboat is selling it’s all-weather Bernard Matthews II lifeboat, launch carriage and tractor on the auction site eBay . With a brand new £1.6m lifeboat under construction, the directors and crew are hoping the sale of the current boat will help pay some of the costs. With a starting bid of £300,000 and a Buy It Now price of £420,000, it comprises the entire package of the lifeboat, it’s unique hydraulic launch carriage and fully-marinised Caterpillar tractor. Guy Gibson, the coxswain of Caister Lifeboat, said: “We’ve designed the next generation of lifeboat for Caister, but the old boat and launch system still have a lot of life in them. “For £300k to £400k another independent lifeboat charity could have an absolute bargain here. “When we became independent of the RNLI in 1969, we had virtually nothing. Our first lifeboat, the Shirley Jean Adye, cost us £4,200 (£73k in 2022 prices). “We didn’t have enough money to pay the instalments and the crew chipped in £50 each. “With the fully-serviced boat with just 800 hours on the clock, bespoke launch carriage and fully marinised Caterpillar Challenger tractor, it’s got everything you need except lifejackets and the shed.” In December Caister Lifeboat announced it had placed an order with Diverse Marine in Cowes on the Isle of Wight for a 14m Medina Class Lifeboat. The sale of the existing Valentijn class lifeboat will not be completed until the new vessel has been delivered and accepted into service in Autumn 2022. Mr Gibson said: “The new Medina Class lifeboat will give us many more capabilities than the Bernard Matthews II. We will have electronic navigation systems to send search patterns from a shore base to the lifeboat and comfort for our crew and casualties will be greatly improved. “That said, the Bernard Matthews II has been a very good boat for us; has saved countless lives and with her speed and agility at sea has a great future in lifesaving with another organisation. “However, there is all kinds of other uses that potential bidders might see; and we welcome all bids from serious contenders.” See the full listing HERE

Thanks to Bernard Matthews for continuing their Christmas tradition of giving a turkey to each of the crew of Caister Lifeboat. Bernard was a tremendous supporter of CVL S from the mid-1980s and it is an honour that the company upholds his links with us. Andrew Sherwood, from the company, presented the birds to coxswain Guy Gibson and Santa! We wish everyone at Bernard Matthews, and all of our supporters everywhere, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

30 Nov 2020 Tangle of ropes and metal on the beach Following reports on Caister local social media of a tangle of ropes and metal on the beach, Caister lifeboat crew went to investigate. They found fishing nets, weights and an anchor all tangled together and half buried in the sand. This was something that would be best removed from the beach. Using our Talus tractor it was pulled out of the sand and towed back to the lifeboat carpark. We will get this safely removed and properly disposed of in the next few days.

Image above: Andrew Sherwood, right, Guy Gibson left.

19 Sep 2017 Caister Lifeboat crew tests use of drones An offshore lifeboat crew is testing the use of drones during search and rescue operations. The independent offshore lifeboat service at Caister, Norfolk, has a fleet of drones, fitted with floodlights and cameras. A spokesman said the devices would beam back live footage - visible on lifeboat screens. Discussions are ongoing with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) about bringing the drones into regular use on rescues. A CAA spokesman said permission could be granted in "certain circumstances for certain people", but that some safety issues needed to be worked through. If a drone collided with a search and rescue helicopter, he said, the result could be "catastrophic". "We absolutely want to support the use of drones as long as they're done safely, so the risk of harming people in the air is controlled," he said. Caister Lifeboat is the only station in the UK to operate an offshore vessel independently of the RNLI. The service covers a radius of 250 miles of the North Sea and has a crew of 30 volunteers. As a registered charity, it relies entirely on public donations. The drones were donated by an insurance firm which had the technology developed in 2016 to enhance street lighting. Drone expert Peter King, who is supporting the lifeboat team at Caister, said using the drone as "an eye in the sky" was like "having multiple coastguard helicopters up at the same time." He said: "Normally you're at sea level trying to look out from the lifeboat. The swell is above the boat so you have to wait until you're on the crest of a wave, and they might be in a trough. "They might be 20m away and you still can't find them." CAA regulations cap the maximum legal range of a drone at 500m, but Mr King said he hoped to put forward a "safety case" for permission for the lifeboat drones to go further. Paul Garrod, chairman of Caister Lifeboat, said: "In the past, there have been instances where we have been unsuccessful when searching for someone in need of help. "Perhaps if we had been equipped with the drone technology, these searches would have had a positive outcome." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-413223 98

08 Jun 2016 ANNUAL BOAT SHED BEER FESTIVAL All are Welcome. Our Famous Annual Beer Festival in the Lifeboat Shed Returns for another year Friday 17th June 6pm till Midnight with Rivers. Saturday 18th June noon till midnight with Annie's Jazz Band, Loui Lou and The Geezers Sunday 19th June A Father's Day Special for all the family Noon till 4pm with a special Groom Hog Roast and Country Music by Sherry Geary Take a look at our Facebook site for details of beers, ales and ciders. 19 May 2016 Bereavement Service As you know the Caister Volunteer Lifeboat Crew scatter ashes at sea and the following dates have just been announced June 5th, July 3rd and August 14th 2016. Any one who wishes the ashes of a family member scattered should contact the Station so the necessary arrangements can be made.

24 Jun 2015 Celebrate Father's Day - raise a glass and raise some money!! We had more than thirty beers, over a dozen ciders and a handful of bands - the perfect line up for a great Father's Day weekend. The fifth Caister Lifeboat Beer and Cider Festival was set to be even bigger and better than last year - which was a record-breaker! With the best of Norfolk's ales, and a few from further afield, we had something for everyone. Then there was the ciders - sparkling and still, bottle conditioned and from the barrel, and even a couple of good scrumpies which we don't always know the strength of, but they taste mighty good! And for those not a beer or cider fan - then just as well we stocked up on half a dozen varieties of wines - three reds, three whites and a rose! What more could you ask for? Bands? Well, yes - we had them too! The line-up included The Moondogs playing on the Friday with a mixture of rock and ballad classics as well as a selection of their own music. Saturday lunchtime was perfect to chill out to the mellow sounds of Annie's Jazz Friends - a group of mature musicians who know all the best tunes. The headline performance for Saturday night was Eddie Miller - well known for his gigs around Caister - anything from dance and pop to blues and rock. On Day Four - Father's Day - the easy-listening accoustic guitar and vocals duo Harvest - with Richard and Jon. So what about the food? On the Friday and Saturday we had a successful Phone-and-Deliver service from Thompson's Fish and Chip Shop - and on the Sunday lunchtime Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Chips. And that was not all. We had our usual Tug-o-War challenges for adults and children, and the Yard of Ale Challenge - but that was strictly for adults!! 16 Jun 2015 Blooming marvellous... Caister Lifeboat in glorious colour! The Caister Lifeboat Experience burst into colour over the Whitsun bank holiday weekend. Flower arrangers and professional florists installed a series of displays throughout the shed. Many were themed on either lifeboat colours, beach scenes or in the form of memorials and floral tributes which were later dipersed at sea. And on the Sunday, there was a plant sale - timed perfectly for bank holiday planting Stallholders included commercial nurseries and local allotment holders selling surplus fruit and vegetable plants. As well as featuring the work of several flower clubs in the Great Yarmouth area, many commercial florists also showed off their creativity and range of blooms. The event raised nearly £2000 so thank you to all those who came along.

03 Sep 2014 Big Shed Cleanup Woodhouse Boat House a 'late summer clean'... the first since it was built 10 years ago! Thick with cobwebs between the steel beams and across great areas of the ceiling 'lantern' it took three crew more than two hours just to do the highest parts of the roof area. Hundreds of dead insects lined the window ledges too. It's hoped that other areas can be accessed more easily, but the results so far are clearly visible from the ground. The crew who manned the 'cherry picker' access platform - Andrew Turner, Johnny Banyard and Adam Pimble also cleaned the windows at the upper level, which will allow more sunlight into the boat shed. More concerning though, they found a couple of stone chips in the outer skin of the double-glazing sealed units, a possible sign of vandalism. Next time you visit, look up - either you'll notice how much better it looks, or will be able to point out a bit that's been missed! 23 Aug 2014 Inshore boat rescues an escaped dog Caister lifeboatmen have been praised for launching the inshore lifeboat Fred Dyble to rescue an adventurous dog that swam a quarter of a mile out to sea. Ruby, the water-loving Labrador, who lives with owners Ann and Norman Hughes in Filby, slipped her collar and prompted a full scale rescue off Caister beach this morning. The four-year-old dog often goes swimming on a long lead but went further than her family expected sending them into a panic as she swam further and further out into the freezing North Sea. In a seperate incident the Inshore Tractor was sent to the aid of a boat on a trailer that had got trapped by the incoming tide. 04 Aug 2014 2014 Annual Fete BIG THANKS to everyone!! We've smashed our fete profits this year... the busiest (and we think best) ever! Thanks to all the visitors and businesses that supported us, helping us make almost £14,200 profit. THAT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! Bob did a sterling job, and for the first time raised over £1k. The tombola did a similar amount, the big prize raffle made almost £1.3k and the burger and hot dog stall was up by several hundred on last year (without increasing prices!) This reflected all the effort and hard work of our crew and supporters, and the loyal following we have with our visitors and the businesses that donate goods and prizes to us! We couldn't have done it without all this help and goodwill. 17 Feb 2014 New Inshore Extension awaits The Fred Dyble The builders have gone and the site and extension made secure and ready for the relocation of the inshore boat the Fred Dyble. Another milestone that will make the launching and maintenance of both boats that much easier and quicker.