Arun tows yacht for 34 miles against NE gale Newhaven's Arun class Keith Anderson was involved in a long and arduous service on 4 April 1988 when she was at sea for nearly six-and-a-half hours in a NE gale, picking up her casualty and four survivors some 34 miles from the station.

The service was initiated at 0845 by Solent Coastguard, who asked for the lifeboat to be launched to take over the tow of the yacht Aubric which had problems with her sails and engine. The survey vessel Challenger had the yacht in tow on a bearing of 215 degrees from the station, almost directly down wind.

Keith Anderson left her moorings at 0852 and proceeded at full speed to the position given, aided by the NE gale from astem.On arrival at 1030 the lifeboat was asked by Challenger to take off two of the yacht's crew, who had been taken aboard the survey vessel. An 8ft swell was running, with a very rough sea and a NE Force 8 wind.

The transfer of the crew was difficult in view of the severe conditions, but Coxswain Beach managed it skilfully, without damage apart from the loss of two rope fenders.

The two crew who had been left aboard the yacht were very tired and had difficulty in casting off Challenger's tow and picking up the lifeboat's line, but when this had been achieved they were also taken aboard the Arun for the long tow back to Brighton, their home port, which began at 1058.

Punching slowly into the wind and sea with the tow it was not until 1419, nearly three-and-a-half hours later, that the lifeboat reached Brighton.

By 1445 they were ready to leave for the 25-minute run back to Newhaven, where Keith Anderson was refuelled and ready for service again by 1550..