A pair of individuals were brought to safety following the submersion of their small craft in shallow waters near the southern approach to Littlehampton Harbour.
The vessel went down in approximately waist-deep conditions on the evening of Saturday, September 12, leaving the two occupants stranded roughly 100 metres from the harbour mouth.
Littlehampton’s RNLI volunteers received notification from HM Coastguard after 7.30pm and promptly deployed their D-Class lifeboat, the Spirit of Fidelity.
Chris King, the launch authority for the station, interrupted his attendance at a wedding celebration to oversee the operation.
He explained that the volunteer team undertakes demanding training in diverse weather conditions around the clock, and when emergency calls come through, members immediately cease other activities to assist those in peril.
The lifeboat crew navigated to the location after spotting two flares discharged from the disabled 15-foot boat.
Upon reaching the scene, rescuers discovered both men standing in water at waist height.
Despite being chilled, neither individual sustained injuries and both were boarding the lifeboat without incident.
King noted that the River Arun ranks among the swiftest tidal flows in the country, with water levels capable of dropping dramatically during low tides, particularly during spring tides of the kind experienced that day.
The crew conveyed the pair to visitor moorings within the harbour, where they were received by coastguard personnel and shore-based team members before being transferred to the lifeboat station for rewarming.
The RNLI maintains its operations through voluntary contributions and public support, delivering continuous emergency response capabilities throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The charitable organisation manages 238 lifeboat stations across those territories alongside more than 240 lifeguard facilities on beaches in the UK and Channel Islands.
Since the charity’s establishment in 1824, its crews and lifeguards have preserved more than 146,700 lives.
The RNLI operates independently from government bodies including the Coastguard and relies entirely on charitable donations and legacy bequests to sustain its rescue operations.