Volunteers respond to back-to-back calls, demonstrating commitment to saving lives at sea.

In the early hours of Wednesday 22/02/2024, Eastbourne’s RNLI volunteers demonstrated exceptional dedication and bravery during a series of urgent search and rescue operations. The D-class Inshore lifeboat, ‘David H,’ was launched at 01:28 hrs following a directive from Solent Coastguard to search for a potentially missing person. The mission saw a collaborative effort with Coastguard Helicopter 163, various coastguard units, and police teams under challenging weather conditions and almost complete darkness.

Despite the adverse weather, the search was expanded with the launch of the All-weather lifeboat to bolster the ongoing efforts. This marked a significant intensification of the search operation, with both RNLI boats working in tandem with all participating agencies to cover more ground.

The search concluded at 05:30 hrs, with all teams returning to their bases after a thorough but unsuccessful search. However, the commitment of the Eastbourne RNLI volunteers was further tested when barely having returned home, they were called out again at 06:49 hrs. This time, they were tasked with launching the ‘Esme Anderson’ following reports of a person in the water towards Hastings. Fortunately, this operation was quickly stood down as local coastguards confirmed the individual was safe on land.

Yet, the day’s efforts were not over. At 9.10am, the crew was once again paged to launch ‘Esme Anderson’ to continue the search from the previous night, working alongside partner agencies until being stood down at 11:00 am.

These consecutive missions marked the first, second, and third taskings for the new Eastbourne Lifeboat ‘RNLB Esme Anderson,’ showcasing the relentless spirit and dedication of the RNLI volunteers. The Eastbourne RNLI extends its gratitude to the employers of these volunteers for their understanding and support during this intensely busy operational period.