March 7th, 2026.



Newhaven lifeboat interrupted its regular training session last Sunday, when it received a distress call from a yacht with three passengers on board, around two and a half miles from Newhaven harbour. It had suffered a steering failure and was drifting towards shore in rough seas.

The crew from Newhaven RNLI included Emmeline Ravilious, who has recently completed the the tier 2 stage of her all-weather lifeboat crew training, and Marty McDonald McCrossan on his first shout. The Newhaven Crew took the yacht in tow in difficult weather conditions and then transferred the towline to Eastbourne lifeboat for the vessel to be towed into Eastbourne harbour.

James Wishman, senior station technician at Eastbourne RNLI, said: "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, working together seamlessly to get the job done safely and professionally."


RNLI image