Man rescued after falling overboard in sea off Brighton

A man fell overboard from a yacht about two miles south of Brighton Marina this afternoon (Sunday 1 July).

Fellow crew members called out the RNLI Brighton lifeboat and in the meantime they managed to haul him back aboard.

He suffered a bang to the head and needed an ambulance.

The RNLI Brighton said: “Two lifeboat crew were transferred on to the yacht to assess the man’s injuries and confirm the best method of transferring him to safety.

“Weather conditions on scene made moving the casualty difficult but due to the state of the tide it was considered the best possible solution.

“The injured crewman was transferred on to the lifeboat and best possible speed was made back into Brighton Marina.

“An ambulance crew had been arranged to meet the lifeboat on arrival back at station.

“As soon as the patient was handed over, the lifeboat returned to sea to escort the yacht back to safety along with the lifeboat crew member that had been left on board.”

A spokesman for the RNLI Brighton said: “In heavy swell and against a strong southwesterly wind, the yacht’s crew achieved an incredible feat to get their man back on board today. Full credit to them.

“We’re also particularly proud of two of today’s four lifeboat crew, Mark Steel and Stuart Crosby, who completed a year’s training last Tuesday and officially became RNLI lifeboat crew.

“Within days they’ve found themselves at the sharp end of a critical rescue in tough conditions.”

The lifeboat was called out just before 4.15pm and the crew stood down just over an hour and a half later.