Harwich Lifeboat Museum had its origins early in 1993 when the Society heard that Cromer was looking for a home for a surplus lifeboat. A search party was immediately despatched to investigate. They found the “Valentine Wyndham Quinn” a 37ft long ex Clacton boat of 1968, looking somewhat forlorn on the windswept promenade, but they immediately said they would take it. A decision made without knowing how they would take it or where they would take it, but based on Society confidence that it could be done. In April 1993 DFDS Transport offered to collect the 13 ton lifeboat as a “return empty load” and Navyard Wharf offered to store the boat in its container park until a permanent home could be found for it.