The incident took place off the coast of Hastings during the early hours of August 5. In a statement, HM Coastguard Bexhill and Hastings said they had "located a white sloop aground on the rocks." With the skipper safe, no immediate risk identified and no further assistance required, the team withdrew. Fortunately, the skipper had safely abandoned the boat and swum ashore by the time coastguard crews returned. They said: "Incidents like this are a reminder of how quickly situations at the coast can change, particularly overnight.