Newhaven RNLI rescues yacht on Easter Sunday
Volunteer crew members were paged at 13:00 on Sunday 20 April 2025 (Easter Sunday) to a yacht that lost its rudder off Beachy Head.
Newhaven RNLI launched the charity’s Severn Class all-weather lifeboat 17-21 ‘David and Elizabeth Acland’. The lifeboat launched into a moderate sea state, force six winds, large waves, and sea spray.
The yacht was located two nautical miles, south of Birling Gap. The lifeboat was on scene approximately 20 minutes after launching. Crew established contact with the yacht's crew and confirmed that there were six people on-board. After assessing the situation, it was decided that the best course of action would be to tow the yacht back to the nearest safe place, Newhaven Harbour.
David was one of the six people on board the yacht. He was participating in a yacht race from Eastbourne to Cowes with family and friends when the yacht lost its rudder off Beachy Head. He said: ‘Seeing the lifeboat approaching was a huge relief to myself, and everyone onboard. We knew we would all be safe. Watching the skill of the crew manoeuvring the lifeboat in rough seas, to get in a position to throw the tow line, was impressive.’
‘Thank you to all the crew at Newhaven RNLI. Every crew member was very friendly, and checked in on us during the tow back to safety. When we reached safety, we gave the crew some easter eggs we had on-board, as a small thank you for coming to our aid!’
This was John Simcock first shout as Coxswain, and Will Rowell’s first shout as a crew member.
John Simcock, volunteer Coxswain, said: ‘This was my first shout as Coxswain, so naturally had some initial nerves whilst heading to the lifeboat station. However, once launched, the training kicked in, and I felt confident with the task at hand, and confidence in the crew around me.’
John added: ‘Once we arrived on scene, I assessed the conditions and deemed them too rough to come alongside to extract the casualties from the yacht. After discussing with those on board, I decided the safest and most effective course of action to protect those onboard the casualty vessel was to tow the yacht to a point of safety. We therefore secured a towline, and made our way back to Newhaven Harbour’
The lifeboat returned to Newhaven Lifeboat Station at 4pm, with the casualty yacht berthed safely in Newhaven Harbour.
Will Rowell, volunteer crew member, said: ‘When the pager went off for the first time, the adrenaline kicked in. I recently passed out on the all-weather lifeboat, and this was my first shout on the Severn. When we were heading out of the harbour, I felt a mixture of nervousness, and excitement, all while trying to take it all in.’
‘The yacht was pitching and rolling in the waves, and it was clear we needed to assist them. I was in awe of my fellow crew members skill and professionalism throughout the shout. It was an incredible feeling, being part of getting the casualty yacht and its crew to safety’.
97% of the RNLI’s frontline lifesavers are volunteers, including 5,700 volunteer lifeboat crew members at stations around the UK and Ireland. Without our incredible volunteer lifesavers, the RNLI could not provide a 24/7 lifesaving service.
Notes to editors
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Newhaven RNLI was established in 1803, and covers from Beachy Head to Brighton. It’s a modern afloat station and operates an all-weather Severn class lifeboat, and a inshore D class lifeboat.
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Coxswain is the person in command of the all-weather lifeboat when at sea and is responsible for the safety of both the volunteer crew and any casualties on board. Crucially, a lifeboat cannot launch without a qualified Coxswain.
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All-weather lifeboats - Lifeboats that are capable of high speed and can be operated safely in all weather conditions. They are inherently self-righting after a capsize and fitted with navigation, location and communication equipment.
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Severn Class – Named after the River Severn, the Severn Class is the largest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. The Severn can take on the worst sea conditions and comes into her own on long offshore search and rescues.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Sam Carragher, Lifeboat Press Officer on [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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