Video provided by the RNLI
A crewman was lost overboard in gale force winds off the Sussex coast.
The Eastbourne lifeboat was called out at around 12.40am yesterday (February 5) after the 55-year-old from Kent fell into the sea five miles south of Sovereign Harbour.
The tug Endurance had two people on board and was travelling from Dover to Brighton with a 60ft motor cruiser under tow when the accident happened.
The tow had been lost and the crewman was trying to re-establish it when he fell overboard.
His colleague sent out a Mayday distress call and the Eastbourne lifeboat began the search close to the shore off Beachy Head, joined later by the Coastguard helicopter.
The Newhaven lifeboat was also asked to join the hunt for the missing person, but later diverted to collect the cabin cruiser which had drifted five miles from the scene.
The motor cruiser was then towed to Sovereign Harbour.
The two lifeboats continued their search through the night and were joined at first light by units from the Coastguard before the search was finally abandoned at 9.10am.
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