One crew, working together seamlessly to get the job done safely
On a rough March morning off the Sussex coast, three people aboard a stricken sailing yacht found themselves at the mercy of seas they could no longer navigate, their vessel drifting shoreward without steering and two of their number too ill to help themselves. What followed was a quiet demonstration of how preparation, coordination, and the willingness to adapt in real time can transform danger into deliverance — two RNLI stations, operating as one, bringing the yacht and its crew safely to harbour.
- A 14-metre yacht lost all steering two and a half miles from Newhaven Harbour, leaving three people adrift in rough seas with no way to control their drift toward shore.
- Two of the three crew were incapacitated by seasickness, stripping the vessel of any meaningful self-rescue capacity and raising the stakes of every passing minute.
- Newhaven's lifeboat, already at sea on a training run, pivoted immediately to the emergency and secured a tow line — but conditions remained too violent for a safe handover to Eastbourne's crew at the original meeting point.
- Both lifeboat crews made the pragmatic call to reposition two miles offshore near Eastbourne Pier, where calmer water allowed the tow line transfer to be completed without risk.
- The yacht was brought safely into Sovereign Harbour — Brighton Marina ruled out by tide and weather — and all three crew members were found unharmed, with no medical attention needed.
On a Sunday morning in early March, a sailing yacht carrying three people lost steering in rough seas roughly two and a half miles from Newhaven Harbour and began drifting toward shore. Two of the crew were laid low by seasickness, leaving the vessel effectively helpless. A distress call went out, and the decision to seek help was not a difficult one.
Newhaven RNLI happened to be at sea already, running a training exercise aboard their all-weather lifeboat. When the call came through just before eleven in the morning, they altered course and reached the yacht, securing a tow line to halt its drift. The conditions were rough enough to rule out any attempt to transfer crew or change approach — holding steady was the priority.
By mid-afternoon, Eastbourne RNLI's lifeboat had launched and headed toward Beachy Head to take over the tow. When the two lifeboats met, however, the sea state was still too severe for a safe line transfer. Rather than force the handover in dangerous conditions, both crews made the sensible call: they moved together to calmer water near Eastbourne Pier, about two miles offshore, where the work could be done properly.
There, Newhaven released their line and Eastbourne took hold of the yacht. Senior station technician James Wishman described it as a challenging but precise operation — two crews from different stations functioning as one. The yacht was then towed to Sovereign Harbour, with Eastbourne Marina confirmed as the destination after Brighton Marina was ruled out by tides and heavy weather.
Once the vessel was secure, all three crew members were assessed and found to be unharmed. Among those who responded that day were Emmeline Ravilious, fresh from completing the next stage of her all-weather training, and Marty McDonald McCrossan, for whom it was his first operational call — both part of a response that turned a serious maritime emergency into a safe recovery.
On a Sunday morning in early March, a 14-metre sailing yacht carrying three people lost the ability to steer in rough seas about two and a half miles from Newhaven Harbour. The vessel began drifting toward shore, and with two of the three crew members incapacitated by seasickness and conditions too violent to safely pull anyone from the water, the decision came quickly: call for help.
Newhaven RNLI was already at sea that day, running a training exercise aboard their all-weather lifeboat, the David and Elizabeth Acland, when the distress call came through at 10:48 in the morning. They altered course and made for the stricken yacht, establishing a tow line to arrest its drift and hold it steady while a more permanent solution could be arranged. The sea state was unforgiving—rough enough that any attempt to transfer the casualties or change course would have been dangerous.
By mid-afternoon, Eastbourne RNLI's all-weather lifeboat, the Esme Anderson, had launched and was heading toward Beachy Head to take over the operation. But when the two lifeboats met at the original rendezvous point, conditions were still too severe. The transfer of a tow line in that kind of sea—with both vessels pitching and the rope under tension—carried real risk. So the crews made the practical choice: they repositioned together, moving roughly two miles offshore to a point near Eastbourne Pier where the water was calmer and the work could be done safely.
There, in better conditions, Newhaven released their line and Eastbourne took hold of the yacht, securing it with their own towline. James Wishman, the senior station technician at Eastbourne RNLI, later described the operation as challenging but executed with precision. "Working alongside RNLI Newhaven, it was a real team effort," he said, emphasizing how the two crews had functioned as a single unit despite operating from different stations.
The yacht was then towed into the shelter of Sovereign Harbour, where it was handed over to harbour staff once it had passed through the locks. Brighton Marina had been considered as a destination but was ruled out because of the tides and the heavy weather. Eastbourne Marina, by contrast, had confirmed it could accommodate the vessel and take it in safely.
When the three crew members were assessed once the yacht was secure, none required further medical attention. Two had been seasick throughout the ordeal, but all three were unharmed. Among the Newhaven crew that day was Emmeline Ravilious, who had recently completed the next stage of her all-weather lifeboat training, and Marty McDonald McCrossan, for whom this was his first operational call. Both performed their roles as the rescue unfolded, part of a coordinated response that turned a potentially serious maritime emergency into a successful recovery.
Citas Notables
It was a challenging operation with the sea state making conditions difficult, but the crew performed brilliantly throughout. Working alongside RNLI Newhaven, it was a real team effort—one crew, working together seamlessly to get the job done safely and professionally.— James Wishman, senior station technician at Eastbourne RNLI
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What made this rescue different from a straightforward tow-in?
The sea state. You couldn't just grab the yacht and pull it to the nearest harbour. The conditions were too rough to safely transfer people or even exchange tow lines at the first meeting point. That's why repositioning mattered—it wasn't a delay, it was the difference between a safe operation and a dangerous one.
Why were the two RNLI stations working together rather than one handling it?
Newhaven was already out there on training when the call came in, so they responded first and stabilized the situation. But Eastbourne was better positioned to complete the tow to a suitable harbour. It wasn't about jurisdiction—it was about using the resources that made sense for each phase of the rescue.
The seasickness seems almost incidental, but it clearly mattered.
It was the thing that made evacuation impossible. In calmer seas, you might pull the crew off and deal with the yacht separately. But rough water plus two people too ill to move safely meant the only option was to keep everyone aboard and tow the whole vessel in. That changed the entire operation.
What does a crew member's first call on a rescue like this tell you?
That the RNLI trains people for exactly this kind of situation. Marty McDonald McCrossan wasn't thrown into chaos—he was part of a practiced team executing a well-coordinated response. That's the system working as it should.
Did anything go wrong?
Not really. The original plan—meet at Beachy Head and transfer the tow—would have worked in different conditions. When it became clear that wasn't safe, the crews adapted immediately. That flexibility is what prevented this from becoming a problem.