Four people in a cruise boat had a narrow escape this evening when their vessel was blown under Palace Pier, Brighton.
The coastguard was called at 7.25pm when the occupants of a 30ft cruiser, 200 yards off the end of pier, were unable to start its engines.
They raised the alarm when their anchor failed to hold and the strong south-westerly winds and flooding tide pushed the vessel towards the pier.
A lifeboat, which was on another exercise, was at the scene within four minutes. It arrived just as the cruiser was disappearing under the framework and towed it to safety with seconds to spare.
The people on board were well but shocked after their ordeal.
A spokesman said: "It was lucky the lifeboat got there when it did otherwise the wind and the tide would have started to cause damage to the vessel."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article