Eastbourne lifeboat crews called to stranded couple

The couple, according to Eastbourne RNLI, were rescued at sea by a combination of HM Coastguard and the RNLI after their yacht suffered ‘multiple malfunctions’ on Saturday night (August 1) near Beachy Head.

In a bid to catch ‘favourable tides’, the couple set out from Sovereign Harbour and were heading to Plymouth, according to the RNLI.

The RNLI volunteers said they got the call just before midnight after the couple ran into trouble near the famous cliffs when a malfunction in the sail haulage system caused them to change plan and return to the harbour for repairs.

After turning back, the yacht’s engine started to overheat and, according to the RNLI, the skipper decided the safest option was to turn it off and sail under headsail only.

When HM Coastguard was alerted of the incident it decided to call Eastbourne RNLI for assistance, which said its all-weather lifeboat volunteers were quickly on the scene.

The RNLI said its volunteers attached a towline to the yacht and brought it back to Sovereign Harbour to safety.

When the couple made it back to the harbour the skipper paid tribute to the volunteer crew, saying ‘you’ve obviously done this before, that was a very slick operation’.

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