Rescue Wooden Boats

03/06/2026

⛵️We hope you will join us on the 20th and 21st June for our Maritime Heritage Festival ⚓️

It is the essence of what Rescue Wooden Boats aims to do – bring together the historic wooden local working boats afloat, with the families who built and worked them, and tell and share their stories with others and different generations. The hundreds who come along to the event enjoy history in action afloat

There will be:

⛵️Local historic wooden boats on display afloat (especially on Saturday, some boats will have to leave on Sunday for their home ports as there is a morning tide) with their histories on the green at Tugboat Yard, East Quay, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1GA

A spectacular Flotilla leaving at 11.30 on Saturday when the boats all steam out to the harbour mouth and back, returning to a sea shanty welcome.
A chance on Saturday afternoon to have a guided closer look at the boats.

🧢Rescue Wooden Boats Maritime Heritage stall with information and merchandise

🙌We will also have a display to mark David Hewitt’s 50 years this year as a renowned local wooden boatbuilder

🛟Wells Sea Cadets will have a display and a boat on view on Saturday and look forward to chatting with many of you

🪢A display and workshop of knot tying and rope work by very popular Andy McBride (video is Andy playing the accordion and entertaining the crowd)

🧶Gansey (traditional fishermen jerseys) knitters showing what they do on both mornings

☕️🍰🍻A food van, and a cake, coffee and tea stall and a licensed bar

🎶Wonderful live music:

Saturday Nelson Shantymen at 12.30 then Sheringham Shantymen at 3pm

Sunday Blakeney Old Wild Rovers 11am and the Castaway Crew at 1.00pm

Find out more details and what else is going on
https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/events/maritimeheritagefestival

31/05/2026

Details of The Maritime Heritage Festival are in the Quay Magazine this month, have you got your copy?
You can sign up for a subscription here
https://quaypublishing.co.uk/

⚓️Our Maritime Heritage Festival & Flotilla will take place in Wells -next-the-Sea, Tugboat Yard, East Quay NR23 1GA from 10am on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June, with the Flotilla departing from Tugboat yard at 11.30am on Saturday 20th June, led by our flagship Lucy Lavers, to the harbour mouth and returning to a sea shanty welcome.

Find out more about what's happening over the weekend here 👇
https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/events/maritimeheritagefestival

29/05/2026

👋OPEN SUNDAY 11am-4pm😃

⚓️We tell the story of Dunkirk veteran local lifeboat Lucy Lavers and share the stories of working boats and lifeboats and the people who built, owned, and crewed them – and conserve our local maritime heritage by doing this.

🦀 There are displays of our fishing and wooden boat building heritage, including crab, whelk, and fishing life and communities. There are a number of fishing artefacts and photographs in the centre which have been lent or given to us.

📽You can watch films that capture the stories of the last generation of fishermen and lifeboat men to use wooden boats.

📚We also have a small display on the history of the Military Camp, where we are based and a small shop selling merchandise, postcards, books, and more.

📅 The Maritime Heritage Centre is open until the end of October on Sundays and bank holiday Mondays, 11am - 4pm

📍Find out more and where to find us here
https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/maritime-heritage-centre-introduction/about-the-maritime-heritage-centre

26/05/2026

🌞JOIN US ON BOARD THIS HALF TERM 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👦

⛵️Our tours aboard the unique Dunkirk Little Ship and former locally serving lifeboat Lucy Lavers are a great family-friendly activity, and well-behaved dogs are welcomed also 🐶

⚓️ You can book the whole boat for a private 90-minute or a 3 hour heritage tour leaving from Wells next the Sea harbour, for up to 12 people, or you can join a public 90-minute long heritage tour.

Find out more and book here 👇
https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/lucy-lavers/trips-on-Lucy-Lavers

20/05/2026

👀Looking for something family-friendly to do on Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday?

⚓️Visit our Maritime Heritage Centre in Stiffkey and hear the stories of North Norfolks' unique local wooden fishing boats and Dunkirk Little Ship and lifeboat Lucy Lavers 🛟

🕐We are open from 11-4 both days, with lots to see and do, we have a quiz for children, you can learn knot tying and how to mend and make nets and purchase some great merchandise.

💷It's free entry, but any donations are welcomed.

Find us here 👇 https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/maritime-heritage-centre-introduction/how-to-find-us-1

19/05/2026

⛵️Maritime Heritage Festival & Flotilla 🎶

The annual Maritime Heritage Festival and Flotilla will take place in Wells -next-the-Sea, Tugboat Yard, East Quay NR23 1GA from 10am on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June

The Flotilla departing from Tugboat yard at 11.30 on Saturday 20 June, led by our flagship Lucy Lavers, to the harbour mouth and returning to a sea shanty welcome.

There will be:

⛵️Local historic wooden boats on display afloat (especially on Saturday, some boats will have to leave on Sunday for their home ports as there is a morning tide) with their histories on the green at Tugboat Yard, East Quay, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1GA

⛵️A spectacular Flotilla leaving at 11.30 on Saturday when the boats all steam out to the harbour mouth and back, returning to a sea shanty welcome.

⛵️A chance on Saturday afternoon to have a guided closer look at the boats

⚓️Rescue Wooden Boats Maritime Heritage stall with information and merchandise

🪢A display and workshop of knot tying and rope work by very popular Andy McBride

🍻A food van, and a cake, coffee and tea stall
A licensed bar

🎶Wonderful live music on:
Saturday Nelson Shantymen at 12.30 then Sheringham Shantymen at 3pm and on
Sunday Blakeney Old Wild Rovers 11am and the Castaway Crew at 1.00

We look forward to seeing you there 😀

17/05/2026

Read all about our boats and sea shanties at Wells Maritime Heritage Festival on the 20th & 21st June⛵️

https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/events/maritimeheritagefestival

Historic Norfolk craft will be setting sail for a seaside town's maritime festival and flotilla.

16/05/2026

👀Looking for something family-friendly to do on Sunday?

⚓️Visit our Maritime Heritage Centre in Stiffkey to see and hear the stories of North Norfolks' unique local wooden fishing boats and Dunkirk Little Ship and lifeboat Lucy Lavers 🛟

🕐We are open from 11-4, with lots to see and do, we have a quiz for children, you can learn knot tying and how to mend and make nets and purchase some great merchandise.

💷It's free entry, but any donations are welcomed.

Find us here 👇 https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/maritime-heritage-centre-introduction/how-to-find-us-1

13/05/2026

🌞JOIN US ON BOARD THIS HALF TERM 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👦

⛵️Our tours aboard the unique Dunkirk Little Ship and former locally serving lifeboat Lucy Lavers are a great family-friendly activity, and well-behaved dogs are welcomed also 🐶

⚓️ You can book the whole boat for a private 90-minute or a 3 hour heritage tour leaving from Wells next the Sea harbour, for up to 12 people, or you can join a public 90-minute long heritage tour.

Find out more and book here 👇
https://www.rescuewoodenboats.com/lucy-lavers/trips-on-Lucy-Lavers