In an operation that didn't finish until almost 5am today (Sunday, August 22), two fishermen who set out from Worthing Beach, and then tried paddling to shore after fuel ran out, have been safely returned.
Police said Karoulis Tunatis, 37, and Sasha Lukacevic, 41, had gone out in a small grey inflatable rib on Saturday at 10am.
But the alarm was raised as the day ended, after they had not returned .
By 8pm emergency services had launched a search.
It involved RNLI lifeboat volunteers from Seley, Newhaven and Brighton, along with coastguards from Shoreham and Litltehampton, who said they'd already been told attempts to contact the men aboard had failed.
A spokesperson for Littlehampton coastguards took up the story:
"The team met on Worthing Seafront and quickly found the vehicle the men had travelled in.
"No signs of the missing pair or the boat could be seen.
"Sussex Police were also updated with the vehicle's location and asked to meet Coastguards on the ground.
"Whilst Coastguard search teams got ready, boats from Shoreham RNLI Lifeboat Station and the Coastguard Helicopter 175 were requested to assist in searches out to sea.
"With more information being gathered about the boat and length of time the men had been out at sea the search area started to increase.
"Following a refuelling stop the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter re-joined the search and thankfully located the 2 men on their boat just before 4am this morning.
"Brighton Lifeboat was guided in and picked the casualties up.
"Despite being cold and a bit wet, they were well and taken back to Brighton Lifeboat Station for assessment and treatment by SECAmb crews.
"The pair had run out of fuel whilst on their fishing trip and had attempted to paddle back to shore.
"Thankfully they did the right thing and remained in their boat."
Coastguards reminded potential seafarers of the need to leave the shore prepared for the worst.
They advised:
- Always ensure you have working mobile phones in a waterproof pouch, and a working VHF radio
- Flares are a great back up for alerting people to your location if all other means for calling for help fail.
- Make sure your boat is sea worthy and that you have enough fuel for trip.
- If you’re able to, take enough spare fuel to get you back to shore in an emergency.
- Tell someone where you are going and how long you’ll be.
They added:
"As this incident shows, a simple conversation with a friend or family member telling them when you think you will be back can save lives."
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