Two catamarans were crewed between the two Brighton piers on Saturday, when one capsized. A crew man from the steady catamaran lept into the water to try and right the craft, but the strong wind and swell made it impossible.

The rescue boat at Brighton Sailing Club wasn’t available, so the RNLI were called.

The RNLI lifeboat tried to life the master head clear of the water, but it wasn’t possible with the wind and the waves. In order to avoid damage to the catamaran, she was towed head to wind and the crew were able to right it.

‘The crew of both catamarans were clearly very experienced, in good spirits and comfortable in the conditions,’ said Mark Bell, RNLI Helmsmann. “However, as often happens, mother nature got the upper hand this time and a combination of the strong wind and heavy swell kept their sail
pinned to the water. I’m glad we were able to help and wish them all well.’