Mayors Charity Event - Sea Shanty Night
Help supoprt 4 local charites
- Felixstowe Coast Patrol & Rescue Service
- Pushchair Pitstop
- NCI Felixstowe
- Boost
Join us for a rollicking evening of maritime merriment at the Mayors Charity Event - Sea Shanty Night! Set sail with us on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 19:00 GMT and immerse yourself in the captivating atmosphere of Felixstowe Ferry, Felixstowe, IP11 9RZ.
Prepare to be enchanted by the enchanting melodies of traditional sea shanties, performed by talented local musicians. This lively event promises to transport you back in time to the days of sailors and pirates, with foot-stomping tunes and infectious energy.
Whether you're a seasoned sailor or simply a lover of good music, this event is not to be missed. Gather your friends and family, and come along for a night of laughter, singing, and dancing. Let the sea breeze carry your worries away as you support a worthy cause, as all proceeds from this event go towards the Mayor's chosen charity.
So mark your calendars and set sail for an unforgettable evening at the Mayors Charity Event - Sea Shanty Night. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
Busy Weekend of Rescues
A really busy weekend for the crew
This weekend has been our busiest of the season so far. Here is just a quick description of some of the rescues/activties.
- Last Order was asked to perform a welfare check on an injured individual on a 37ft sloop. We helped them lower sails, berth up and aid them onto the pontoon. Then assisted moving yacht to its berth.
- 2 Kayaks helped on the Deben Bar.
- Advice given to a yacht heading for old Deben entrance.
Last Order was tasked by Coastguard to Deben entrance. 2 persons in water with Jetski travelling away from them. All recovered and taken to Bawdsey Quay to hand over to Shingle Street Coastguard Rescue team.
Nomad Sea Kayaking saw the rescue first hand and wrote an amazing blog on the rescue
https://www.nomadseakayaking.co.uk/blog/felixstowe-coast-patrol-and-rescue
- Alerted to yacht run aground at Levington Creek. Crew mustered at 22:00 and recovered the yacht. Crew arrived back at base for 00:27 Monday a.m.
Ipswich Fireworks Festival 2022
Fund Raising Update
Thanks to everyone who came to see us at the Ipswich Fireworks Festival.
We raised £265.52 and every penny really helps us provide our Independent Lifeboat Service to Felixstowe and the surrounding areas.
We aim to have some more money raising events including 3 of our crew who will be walking from Ipswich Marina to Felixstowe Ferry in all our gear. (Helmet, Drysuit, under clothes, boots and gloves). We will cover approx 15.2 miles and will take around 5 hrs.
Did you meet Charlie Bear our new Coxswain/Mascot ? He had a great time up on stage dancing, meeting the fire team and even got a go on some of the rides
July 2022 - Felixstowe Coast Patrol and Rescue in Felixstowe Carnival
It was a busy weekend for Felixstowe Coast Patrol with crew being busy on and off the water. On the water, we were on patrol all weekend across Felixstowe supporting other boats and removing debris from the waters which could potentially put a hole in someones yacht.⛵️🚤🛥
Off the water, we were proud to be part of the Felixstowe Carnival helping collect money for the local community.
Going the extra mile - 28th May 2022
On the 28th May, Felixstowe Coast Patrol & Rescue were going into Suffolk Yacht Harbour to refuel and the crew noticed that a yacht had got a rope (painter to the tender) got caught around their propellar. Danny from our crew offering to help release the rope. To do this Danny got in the water and under the yacht. He not only released the prop but also tested out one of new drysuits.
Two causality vessels recovered to local marinas - 24th April 2022
On Sunday afternoon, Felixstowe Coast Patrol (FCP) was notified by Shotley Marina of a vessel with engine difficulty with one person on board needing support to return to Shotley Marina.
FCP found the vessel in need of assistance and an alongside tow was performed and the vessel was towed through the lock gates to a guest pontoon to allow for marine engineers to review the engine fault.
Once in Shotley Marina, FCP was called to a yacht moored outside Suffolk Yacht Harbour with engine issues.
The yacht had 2 people onboard and an alongside tow was performed and the yacht was returned to Suffolk Yacht Harbour to a designated pontoon.
Importantly all those in difficulty were returned to dry land safe and well
Donation in memory of Gordon Blackburn
Felixstowe Coast Patrol (FCP) would like to say a huge thanks to Jan Blackburn and her biker friends for the amazing donation of £600 in memory of her husband Gordon Blackburn.
This money will be a great help towards kitting our crew out with new drysuits and life jackets
https://www.echoleft.com/fundraising/volunteers-dry-suits-and-life-jackets
Donation from Robs Spiritual Awareness Centre
A huge thanks to Robs Spiritual Awareness Centre for picking us as one of the charities they support.😃
Johnno (Chairman of Felixstowe Coast Patrol) and Kate (Crew Member) went along to a meeting to discuss our organisation and was presented with a donation of £1000.
We are so very grateful for the support and generosity, this will go a long way to helping us raise the required funds for lifejackets and drysuits.
Robs Spiritual Awareness Centre Facebook Page can be found here
https://www.facebook.com/Robs-Spiritual-Awareness-Centre-1492922170763198
If you would like to donate please following the donate link
https://www.echoleft.com/fundraising/volunteers-dry-suits-and-life-jackets
2022 Training Programme
Training is a really important aspect of being a crew member of Felixstowe Coast Patrol.
Recent training has included
- life jacket testing and water safety
- boat towing
- local coastal knowledge
- boat launching and manoeuvring
- Rope work
- Man over board drills
- Beach rescues
- First aid training
Motor Cruiser with two people onboard towed to safety - 5th September 2021
** Patrol Update**
A busy weekend for Felixstowe Coast Patrol
We provided a tow for a motor cruiser with two people on board. Their motor had completely failed.
The tow was from Walton to Shotley Marina where we brought it through the lock gates.
We were met by Holbrook Coastguard Rescue Team who assisted in tieing up the cruiser on the guest pontoon.
Help was also provided to a yacht who were unable to raise their main sail.
We also got the chance to catch up with @harwich_rnli as their ILB returned to base from a shout.
#lifeboats #shotleymarina #felixstowe #hmcoastguard
Casualty Vessel Recovered with 3 People Onboard - 28th August 2021
43 Ft Casualty Vessel Recovered with 3 People Onboard
Felixstowe Coast Patrol responded to a distress call from a 43 foot yacht with 3 people on board. The yacht had suffered a full power failure leaving it and its crew at the mercy of the wind and waves. Felixstowe Coast Patrol provided a tow back to Shotley Marina Ltd and was met by Holbrook Coastguard Rescue Team and Felixstowe Coastguard Rescue Team who helped Felixstowe Coast Patrol full the vessel through the lock onto the guest pontoon. All those on board the vessel were safe and well and smiling once their ordeal was over. We wish them a safe onward journey once repairs are complete.
RNLI Harwich Lifeboat Station were also on a shout for another casualty vessel at the same time and also brought their recovered vessel into Shotley Marina Ltd
Training
Thanks to the vessel Allen Gardiner River Cruise Restaurant for providing Felixstowe Coast Patrol the opportunity to practise boarding drills. Such opportunities are invaluable to our services to keeps our skills up to date and it gave us the chance to talk about the charity to some of its passengers.
Landguard Nature Reserve Discovery Days
Supporting Landguard Discovery Days
Felixstowe Coast Patrol recently supported Landguard Fort at their Landguard Discovery Day. We take every opportunity we can to promote water/beach safety to children.
Members of the crew were on hand to talk to children and adults about what we do, how to stay safe and even show them around our reserve boat "Volunteer" and our trusty Land Rover and talk about some of equipment we use.
If you would like us to support your event, please let us know. Contact us here
#watersafety #felixstowe #landguard #independantlifeboats
Support Coast Patrol and The Old Felixstowe Brewing Co
Some great local news to share… The Old Felixstowe Brewing Co, is a small nano-brewery, selling at markets since 2018. They have close links with Felixstowe Coast Patrol because the Tony the brewer, is one of our crew members and Cathy helps out with fundraising and collections.
One of their core beers from the range is a ‘Shout’ red ale at 4% and they have a new long term initiative to donate 1p per bottle sold, to Coast patrol.
To support this small business and coast patrol, head over to their website www.tofbc.co.uk and you can place an order through the contacts page or send an email to info@tofbc.co.uk , they also offer a free local delivery.
‘Shout’ Red Ale
Support our charity by enjoying a brew!!
2020 Report
2020 Report
Firstly a special thank you to some of our supporters in this extremely difficult time for funding, Felixstowe Town Council, East of England Co-Op, Orwell Offshore, Trinity House, Mr and Mrs white, The late Mrs Doreen Hayward and Mrs Jan Blackburn. Without such people we wouldn’t be here for the community.
Our crews gave around 600 hours of active patrol time, not including being on flood alert, training, prep and wash down times, travel etc.
We responded to 9 calls from Coastguard, Police or Harbour Authorities, and 34 calls directly from the public. There were 76 incidents in total involving 137 people. Casualties were 47 people and 2 dogs! 4 young lives were saved!
Thank you everyone for your support.
March Operational Sitrep - Covid-19 Update
Owing to the escalating spread of Covid-19 in the UK, the service is endeavoring to conform with Govt guidelines and has to suspend all its non-operational commitments until further notice.
However, please be assured that as a Govt Suffolk Resilience Cat 1-2 Emergency Response and a Suffolk Constabulary MSU we are committed to provide our 24/7 operational response.
Having received 12 flood alerts already this year and having emergency service and key workers among our volunteers, the present dire situation will provide another challenge with manning. However, we are ready for this and remain confident that we will be able to maintain our regular marine patrols with our new patrol lifeboat ‘Last Order’s’.
Please endeavour to keep yourselves safe on our coasts and spare a thought for our already over stretched emergency services and our marine rescue teams who are all volunteers.
Open Weekend on 29th Feb - 1st Mar
Come and visit us at our base on the weekend starting 29th Feb, from 1100-1500 each day. Come and talk to our crew, explore our facility and check out our lifeboats! This is your lifeboat service, therefore we want to open up to everyone to see how we care for it and operate.
Orwell Offshore Supporting Their Local Community
In recent months we have received tremendous support from Ipswich based Orwell Offshore. Despite being a local company, they have a very global reach, but prove that they still care about their local community and charities. We can’t thank them enough for their recent support in buying equipment, ensuring that we’re insured and ready for ops, as well as lending their business expertise to help us improve.
Pictured is Orwell Offshore owner Mark Evans, alongside our Chairman and Treasurer. Check out what they do at www.orwelloffshore.com all very interesting stuff!
2019 Sponsors
We wish to sincerely thank all of our sponsors that helped us during 2019, without their contribution it’s likely that our service would not be able to operate.
Felixstowe Town Council
East of England Co-Operative
Associated British Ports - East Anglia
Orwell Offshore Services
Suffolk Yacht Harbour
Seapower Marine Electronics
The Marine Safety Centre - Lowestoft
John & Ann White
Felixstowe Beach Hut Owners Association
Jan Blackburn - Triangle MC Club
Felixstowe Harmonies Choir
Gipping Homes
Could you be here in 2020?
New Years Day Fundraising Event
Since the millenium, Felixstowe Ferry HM John White and wife Ann have held a fund-raising event at the ferry on new years day in aid of the FVCPRS. John and Ann assisted by family, friends, supporters and our volunteers, and Ann’s Christmas cheer of mince pies, cheesy feet biscuits, and mulled wine have given the event a party atmosphere.
It quickly gathered momentum and became what is best described as a cult-following with the same people turning out every year, bringing family and friends. Every year the turn out no matter what the weather has been phenomenal, with the cheery queues on each jetty waiting to board the ferry ‘Odd Times’ (built by John) being reminiscent of Dunkirk.
There has only been one year when the weather prevented the event going ahead and being postponed until the following Sunday, which again drew a large following. Many of these wonderful people have not only become staunch supporters, but also friends of the FVCPRS.
Since the millenium, John, Ann and friends have raised many thousands of pounds in support of ‘Keeping our boat afloat’, and have undoubtedly helped us save 84 lives since 2000. The previous record of money raised through this event had been £1518 in 2012, and we are now delighted to be able to confirm that this year the event raised an amazing £1648.86.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and this year was the grand finale, as John and Ann after twenty years of this commitment both deserve a well earned break.
Chairman’s comment:
We cannot thank John and Ann enough for their unrelenting efforts over the past twenty years. Not only have they been responsible for raising large sums of money to help ‘Keep the boat afloat’, but have also been staunch ambassadors for the FVCPRS by endorsing how vital the service is, especially with the yearly rise in incidents.
They have introduced us to many new friends and supporters from a wide area. John and Ann will always be close friends, and John will continue to be one of the services much valued band of eight Trustee’s.
May i take this opportunity to unreservedly thank all those who have helped to make the Ferry Event the resounding success that it surely has been, and to thank the many hundreds of people from far and wide who have support the event.
John Cresswell
Chairman
2019 End of Season Report
2019 End of Season Review
· 6 lives saved, 4 requiring medical attention, 2 to A&E.
· 72 incidents and 33 casualties, with a total of 267 persons & 5 dogs involved.
· Tasked by HM Coastguard 27 times, 6 times by National Coastwatch Institution, 8 by Harbour Authorities, 10 by Police and 4 by UK Border Force.
· Our two boats covered a distance of 3405 miles on patrols, incidents & rescues.
· Our volunteers gave a total of 1305 hours of their time to the community on patrols, that doesn’t include time for training, visits to organisations, youth groups or schools for talks on beach/sea safety, fundraising & admin.