The Brighton Lifeboat rescued two fishermen whose boat was drifting towards a sea wall after its engine cut out.
The RNLI Brighton crew towed the 24ft fishing boat to safety in Newhaven Marina from where it had become stranded about a mile west of Newhaven.
The vessel was less than 3ft from the sea wall and in water less than 3ft deep when the lifeboat arrived in an area usually served by the Newhaven lifeboat.
The coastguard, however, decided that the Brighton lifeboat would be better suited to this particular callout.
The fishing boat was also being buffeted by the force 3 to force 4 south westerly wind and swell.
A line was quickly passed to the vessel and temporarily secured enabling the lifeboat to tow the vessel away from the sea wall and into deeper water.
About 100 yards offshore the lifeboat came alongside the fishing boat and the RNLI crew spoke to the skipper and confirmed that no damage had been sustained to the vessel.
The two crew on board the fishing vessel were safe and well and both wearing lifejackets.
With the line made secure, the lifeboat continued to tow the fishing vessel back to its berth at Newhaven Marina.
Twenty minutes later the fishermen were safely returned to their berth and the lifeboat returned to Brighton.
The rescue, which took 90 minutes from start to finish, happened at lunchtime on Sunday.
