Two men were rescued from a sinking boat near Littlehampton Harbour after a volunteer lifeboat crew was called out by the HM Coastguard.
The incident occurred on the evening of Saturday 12 September, when the volunteer lifeboat crew of Littlehampton RNLI was dispatched to assist following a report of a vessel in trouble near the entrance to Littlehampton Harbour.
The small cuddy had sunk around 100 metres south of the harbour entrance, leaving the two men standing in waist-deep water.
Littlehampton RNLI launched its D-Class lifeboat, Spirit of Fidelity, and headed towards the stricken vessel after the casualties were located using two flares.
The lifeboat crew arrived at the scene and found both men cold but otherwise well. They were then safely brought aboard the lifeboat and taken back to the visitor moorings in Littlehampton Harbour, where Coastguards and RNLI shore crew assisted them to the lifeboat station to warm up.
Chris King, Littlehampton RNLI Launch Authority, said the station’s volunteer crew are trained to respond at any time.
“When the pager sounds, we drop everything to save anyone in distress,” he said.
The rescue was coordinated by volunteers, with Chris King leaving a wedding reception to respond to the emergency.
Littlehampton RNLI emphasised that its volunteer crews train in all weather conditions and remain on call around the clock to respond to people in trouble at sea or on the river.
