Newhaven RNLI

Newhaven RNLI Volunteers of Newhaven RNLI operate two class of lifeboat: all-weather Severn class 17-21 'David and Elizabeth Acland' and inshore D class D-890 'Bill Hall'.

In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Newhaven RNLI, established 1803. RNLI Newhaven is a modern afloat station and operates a Severn class All-weather Lifeboat (ALB), the ‘David and Elizabeth Acland’. Our field of operations encompasses high speed cross-channel ferries, merchant ships, fishing vessels, charter fishing boats, yachts and power boats, not to mention the sailing dingh

ies, wind surfers, kite surfers, stand-up paddle boards, swimmers and jet skis that launch from the beaches and marinas. These all contribute to provide a wide variety of service calls for our volunteer crew. If you get in to trouble in the water, or see anyone else in difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. You can give directly to Newhaven RNLI via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rnli-newhaven-lifeboat-station-2023

Our page is an open and welcoming community of RNLI supporters and volunteers all coming together to help save lives at sea and we want to hear from you about your experiences. As a charity funded by your generosity, we welcome your feedback and are always happy to discuss any aspects of our lifesaving work. However, to ensure our page remains a safe and welcoming space for everyone, we reserve the right to remove comments eg those that are offensive or abusive towards others. People who post such comments may be banned from the page. Thank you for your support.

18/06/2026

A fine example of teamwork at sea by Newhaven RNLI's lifeboat crew! 💙🙌

While out together the other day, our inshore lifeboat crew (ILB) requested to follow our all-weather lifeboat (ALB) at close quarters. By riding in the ALB's wake, the ILB was able to have a smoother ride home across the waves. 🌊🌊🌊

📹 Credit: Newhaven RNLI / John Simcock

Newhaven RNLI are joining with other international rescue partners and flying our station flag at half mast today. This ...
15/06/2026

Newhaven RNLI are joining with other international rescue partners and flying our station flag at half mast today. This is to honour the memory of Bill Ewen and Frank Petsch of Marine Rescue New South Wales in Australia, who tragically lost their lives in Ballina last month.

Their ultimate sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the courage, dedication and sacrifice of all those who put themselves at risk to save lives at sea. By joining the international SAR community in this tribute, we acknowledge not only Bill and Frank’s service, but the commitment of all maritime SAR personnel who answer the call to help others in times of need.

Marine Rescue NSW are collecting messages of condolence via the link in comments. These will be compiled into a book and shared with Bill and Frank’s families, as well as the Ballina team.

We also remember Matthew Clayton who also lost his life in this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all three men, and the Ballina team at Marine Rescue New South Wales. 💙

Congratulations to volunteer crew member Rickie Botwright, who has successfully passed his Tier 1 ILB (inshore lifeboat)...
14/06/2026

Congratulations to volunteer crew member Rickie Botwright, who has successfully passed his Tier 1 ILB (inshore lifeboat) passout! 🏆🎉💙

Rickie joined Newhaven RNLI in late 2024 and has been training for around 18 months. The T1 passout includes anchoring and veering, towing, mooring and berthing, locate and assist a casualty, as well as theory modules. It also includes assessing overall capabilities at sea with things like confidence around the boat and rope handling.

Our colleagues at Brighton RNLI assisted with Rickie's passout; their lifeboat acted as a casualty vessel for the towing section. As always, it was great to work with our friends along the coast and have the support of a flank RNLI station for such an important event. 🌊

Rickie performed really well and his success is a testament to the months of hard work he's put into his training. A big WELL DONE to Rickie! 🥳

📷Photo of Rickie Botwright with Lifeboat Training Assessor Chris Glasspool. Credit: Newhaven RNLI

Newhaven RNLI veteran recognised in King's Birthday Honours! 🏅💙🎉Former RNLI volunteer and staff member, Phill Corsi, is ...
13/06/2026

Newhaven RNLI veteran recognised in King's Birthday Honours! 🏅💙🎉

Former RNLI volunteer and staff member, Phill Corsi, is one of eight RNLI volunteers and staff recognised in this year's honours for their dedication and commitment to the lifesaving charity. RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes said: ‘My heartfelt congratulations to these eight Honours recipients, and as we enter our peak summer season, my thanks go to the thousands of volunteers who give their time so generously to the RNLI.’

Phill dedicated more than 44 years to the charity, across a variety of roles and has been made a Member of the British Empire (MBE). Phill joined Newhaven RNLI on his 17th birthday in 1981, progressing through the ranks to become Coxswain. He later joined the RNLI in a staff capacity in 2007, becoming a Trials Coxswain and subsequently Area Operations Manager for the south east in 2019. In November 2025, Phill retired from RNLI service and the crew gathered at the lifeboat station to celebrate his remarkable legacy.

Phill said: ‘It’s very humbling to be put forward for such an honour. I’ve loved my time as both a volunteer and staff member at the RNLI and have many fond memories.'

‘One of the many rescues I’ll never forget was launching in the great storm of 1987 to assist a trawler safely back into Newhaven in awful and challenging conditions. I’ve worked alongside so many dedicated people and everyone shares the same passion to help save lives at sea.’

Congratulations to Phill from everyone at Newhaven RNLI - you're an inspiration! 🌊💫



📷Credit: RNLI

📣 Just three weeks to go until Newhaven RNLI's Summer Fayre on Saturday 4 July! 🌞🎪🎡🎉Join us at Seahaven Academy, Haven W...
12/06/2026

📣 Just three weeks to go until Newhaven RNLI's Summer Fayre on Saturday 4 July! 🌞🎪🎡🎉

Join us at Seahaven Academy, Haven Way, BN9 9TD from 10am - 4pm for a brilliant day out while supporting the lifeboat and our lifesaving charity. Plenty of fun for everyone, including:

- Meet the lifeboat crew and Stormy Stan
- Food trucks, BBQ and bar
- Ice cream van
- Summer raffle with top prizes donated by local businesses
- Bouncy castle and assault course
- Newhaven lifeboat crew demo
- Live music all day
- Morris dancers
- Old-time children's fun fair
- Games including welly wanging and hook-a-duck
- RNLI fundraising stalls with lovely gifts and treats

Shuttle buses are available from Lower Place to Seahaven Academy including pick up at Gibbon Road:

🚌 Out: 9.45am/11.00am/12.00pm/1.00pm
🚌 Return: 11.30am/12.30pm/1.30pm/3.00pm/3.30pm/4.15pm

See you there! 😎🍦🙌🥳

Thanks to Martin Sinnock for capturing this dramatic shot of Newhaven RNLI's volunteer crew out training on Saturday 6 J...
08/06/2026

Thanks to Martin Sinnock for capturing this dramatic shot of Newhaven RNLI's volunteer crew out training on Saturday 6 June on our all-weather lifeboat. 🌊🌊🌊

When Coxswain, Lee Blacknell, spotted an approaching low-pressure system, it presented an ideal opportunity for an impromptu heavy-weather training session. Lee, along with Dan Wittenberg (Trainee Coxswain), Nick Gentry (Mechanic) and crew members Rich White, Will Rowell and Charly Pearce, practised lifesaving skills in more extreme conditions.

Safety is paramount: on leaving the berth, all crew checked that their seats and seatbelts were correctly adjusted. The shock-mitigating seats must be set according to body weight to provide effective damping and protect against back injury. Safety helmets were also properly fitted before departure.

Lee helmed the boat approximately two nautical miles beyond the harbour, allowing the crew time to acclimatise to the sea state and prevailing conditions. They practised a 'man-overboard' recovery exercise with our search mannequin and with all deck crew secured by safety harnesses, the mannequin was successfully recovered using the port-side A-frame and lifting strops.

Following the recovery, Lee gathered the deck crew on the foredeck for a debrief, while Dan maintained the boat's position with the stern facing the sea to provide a more stable platform on deck. Dan remained at the helm and brought the boat safely back into harbour, guided by Lee's expert advice on negotiating the breakwater in heavy westerly seas.

The ALB is designed to withstand rough weather and sea conditions that most people, ideally, would hope to avoid. Our volunteer crew are human beings, not machines, and must train to acclimatise themselves to being out in strong wind and waves. Rough-weather training helps crew get accustomed to how the boat behaves in a big sea and how to save lives in these difficult conditions. Coxswain Lee said, 'Our crew often have to battle discomfort and sea-sickness but it’s amazing to see them still carry on with the task in hand.'

📷Credit: Martin Sinnock

03/06/2026

Earlier this spring, Newhaven RNLI’s volunteer crew were out in beautiful conditions for a training meetup between our all-weather lifeboat ‘David and Elizabeth Acland’ and HM Coastguard helicopter. 🚁☀️

Andy Bull (Trainee Coxswain) ran the exercise under the supervision of Lee Blacknell (Coxswain). Volunteer crew on deck were Ash Kristiansen (Trainee Mechanic), Chris Moore (Trainee Mechanic) and Kath Nash (now our newest Helm). The deck crew were overseen by Chris Glasspool (Lifeboat Training Assessor) and the POV video shots are courtesy of veteran crew member, Nick Gentry.

After rendezvous with the helicopter, HM Coastguard Winch Paramedic, Steve Bell, was lowered to the aft deck of the lifeboat, and ran through some exercises with the crew, rehearsing how to lift and lower winch paramedics and stretchers for casualties, using the hi-line procedure.

What’s the hi-line procedure? The hi-line has a weighted bag(s) at the end and is used to prevent excess swinging and/or spinning of the winch paramedic/stretcher at the end of the winch wire. After the deck crew had all taken turns operating the hi-line, Steve gave some valuable feedback before being lifted back up into the helicopter.

A very happy crew returned to the lifeboat station after a very exhilarating experience, having practised valuable lifesaving skills with our air rescue partners. 🛟🙌🌊

⚠ High risk of tidal cut off between Thursday 28 May through to Wednesday 3 June ⚠❗Check tide times before you set out a...
27/05/2026

⚠ High risk of tidal cut off between Thursday 28 May through to Wednesday 3 June ⚠

❗Check tide times before you set out along the coast 👍

Cut off risk 28/05/26-30/05/26 (Thursday-Saturday)
Greater cut off risk 31/05/26-03/06/26 (Saturday-Wednesday)

If you're planning to walk, paddle, paraglide or get out on the water along our coastline, be aware that high tides will increase the shoreline risk of getting cut off by the rising tide. This danger will continue from now until Wednesday 3 June, with the greatest cut-off risk between Sunday 31 May and Wednesday 6 June.

- Always check forecast and tides before you set out ✅
- Let someone know your plans ✅
- Carry a means of communication ✅

If you see someone in trouble, call for help: dial 999. Ask for the Coastguard. Do not enter the water yourself.

📺 Watch featured volunteers Katherine Nash and Dan Wittenberg along with their fellow Newhaven RNLI crew ON SERVICE to fishermen cut off by the tide in BBC2's 'Saving Lives at Sea' available on BBC iPlayer (series 10, episode 2).

📸Photo credit Olly Rose, .films

Newhaven RNLI's volunteer crew were out on Monday, filming with on the hottest May day on record 🫠🌡☀The weather might b...
27/05/2026

Newhaven RNLI's volunteer crew were out on Monday, filming with on the hottest May day on record 🫠🌡☀

The weather might be hot, but the water's cold. 🌊 Our ALB Coxswain, John Simcock, shared lifesaving advice should you get into difficulty in the water:

'That cold water shock - at the moment lakes, rivers, the sea, the water's very cold - it can take your breath away. If you find yourself in that situation, lie on your back, tilt your head back, arms and legs out to the side to allow you to float. That allows your body to calm down, gives you the opportunity to shout for help or to swim to shore.'

22/05/2026

We're expecting some lovely weather for the bank holiday and lots of people will be out enjoying the coast. 🏖️☀️

Newhaven RNLI volunteer crew member, Marty McCrossan, is here with a reminder of our lifesaving tips in case you get into difficulty in the water - Float To Live:

- Tilt your head back with ears submerged
- Relax and try to control your breathing
- Use your hands to help you stay afloat
- It’s okay if your legs sink, we all float differently
- Practice these steps at a supervised location, like a swimming pool or lifeguarded beach so you know what to do in an emergency.

And finally…share this video! It could save you or someone you love. 🌊💙

📹 Credit: Marty McCrossan / Darcey Hope

Address

Lifeboat Station, West Quay
Newhaven
BN99BX

Telephone

01273 514143

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