The Shoreham RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was called into action on Thursday evening following reports of a possible casualty in the water west of Worthing Pier. The crew quickly launched and headed towards the location, but were soon stood down when it was discovered that the sighting was actually floating fishing gear. The call was deemed to be a good intention, and the crew used the opportunity to carry out an impromptu training exercise while waiting for the tide to rise and the lifeboat to return to the slipway at the station.
Earlier that same day, the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was also launched to respond to reports of an empty small grey inflatable dinghy spotted by two fishermen 200m off the King Alfred at Hove. The crew conducted a thorough search of the area and eventually located the craft around 20m from the shore between the Brighton piers. The crew recovered the craft with a view to establishing its owners or users. It is possible that it may have come from another vessel and was being used as a tender.
