The lifeboat laucnhed at 8.30am to assist the fisherman who was stranded some 15 miles out to sea, and desperately trying get back home to Belgium to be next to his pregnant wife, who was lying seriously ill in hospital.
The call for help had come in just minutes earlier when the skipper of a 35 metre Zeebrugge registered trawler, Jasmine, had contacted coastguards telling them that one of his crew needed to be evacuated and get back to Belgium, having just been informed that his pregnant wife was in hospital experiencing serious complications with their unborn twins.
The skipper told the coastguard that they were 15 miles off the Sussex coast and heading towards Shoreham. However, because of the size of the vessel and the state of the tide, they would be unable to enter the harbour and would need assistance in getting their crewman ashore.
As the volunteer crews were preparing to launch, another boat, the Sussex Fisheries Protection Vessel Watchful, was diverted from her patrol duties and asked to stand by ready to offer assistance if required. They would then be available to transfer the trawlerman ashore had there been an emergency call requiring the services of the RNLI lifeboat.
Just after 9am. the lifeboat came alongside Jasmine five miles out of Shoreham and, having transferred the young man on board, started back towards the harbour. During the return trip lifeboat coxswain, Peter Huxtable, called ahead to try and organise some form of transport to help get the fisherman to Dover from where he would be able to catch a ferry home.
Thanks to the staff at Brighton and Newhaven Fish Sales, who offered him a lift to the port in one of their delivery lorries, he was soon on his way. Having crossed the channel he was met by relatives waiting to take him by train to his wife’s bedside.
He was with her by 4pm that afternoon and on Friday 13th the Shoreham Lifeboat crew received an email from proud new grandparents, not only thanking them for their help, but telling them of the delivery earlier in the day, of two baby girls by emergency caesarean section, and weighing in at just 1.05 and 1.45 kilos.
