Incident 1: Shortly after 9am on Sunday, 28 July 2024 Newhaven’s all-weather lifeboat was dispatched to assist a 5-metre pleasure vessel with one person on board, located 3 nautical miles south of Newhaven. The vessel had issued a Mayday via VHF radio after it began taking on water.
As the lifeboat approached, the casualty fired a red pinpoint flare. The vessel’s occupant entered the water as the boat sank. Fortunately, their lifejacket successfully inflated, and they were located in good condition. The Newhaven RNLI retrieved the individual without requiring medical assistance. A passing yacht also provided assistance to the casualty while the lifeboat approached.
Incident 2: Later that day, at 11.20pm, the volunteer crew was called into action once more. The Severn class lifeboat launched into a very dark night to aid a yacht in difficulty off Saltdean. The yacht had experienced engine failure and was unable to anchor. The crew determined that the safest course of action was to tow the yacht back to the harbour in Newhaven.
