Burnham-on-Sea is on the shore of the Bristol Channel and has a long sandy beach, but nearby mudflats and sandbanks have claimed several lives over the years. At low tide, large parts of the area become mudflats up to wide due to the tidal range of, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada. A lifeboat had been provided in the town from 1836, but this was withdrawn in 1930 leaving coverage for the area to the lifeboat. A charity appeal was established in 1992, by members of the local sailing community, to equip the town with its own inshore rescue boat. In June 1994, the boathouse was built in the space of three days by Anneka Rice and a team of builders for the BBC TV series Challenge Anneka. The site and technical support was provided by Sedgemoor District Council. In June 2002, a five-year-old holidaymaker, Lelaina Hall, was drowned on the mudflats at Berrow, north of the town. A new appeal was launched in association with the Association of Search and Rescue Hovercraft and with the backing of the Western Daily Press. This raised £115,000 to buy a rescue hovercraft, which could operate on mud and in shallow water that was unapproachable for the inshore rescue boat. It arrived on 22 March 2003, and during its first year of operation up to 50 people were rescued. BARB asked the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to take over inshore rescue boat work on the coast, which it did on 23 December 2003. The RNLI operates a Rigid Inflatable Boat and a inflatable boat from Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station which is a short distance from the BARB boathouse and complements their hovercraft.
Boathouse
The BARB headquarters, The Marine Rescue Center is a single-storey block building that matches the adjacent tourist information centre and public conveniences. The boathouse is at the north end and the Coastguard have facilities at the other end of the building.
Fleet
Inshore rescue boat
The two inshore rescue boats are Arancia inflatable boats, that can operate in calm waters and are used by BARB's Swift Water Team.
''Spirit of Lelania''
The Spirit of Lelania is a six-seat BBV-6 hovercraft designed by Bill Baker Vehicles and built by Ivanoff Hovercraft AB, in Sweden in 2003. It is long and wide. Initially powered by a engine, it has a cruising speed of over water. In November 2010, the engine was replaced with a new unit from a MG TF sports car, donated by the manufacturer MG Motor.
''Light of Elzabeth''
The Light Of Elizabeth is a four-seat BBV craft intended for training and to reach sites on the River Parrett where the larger hovercraft cannot operate. It entered service in August 2006. A new larger Italian-designed hovercraft replaced Light Of Elizabeth in 2013. It was funded by donations from local individuals and groups and is made of kevlar rather than fibreglass to make it more resilient.
