RNLI Jersey has been honoured with a visit by His Excellency Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd CBE who took the opportunity to meet some of the crew and join an exercise onboard the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat.
His Excellency was invited to visit RNLI Jersey’s St Helier lifeboat station to meet the
volunteer crew and see first-hand the capabilities of the two lifeboats stationed there.
Notwithstanding the adverse weather, His Excellency was keen to take a trip onboard
the Tamar class all-weather lifeboat, George Sullivan, and the crew were happy to
oblige.
The exercise scenario saw St Helier’s all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat
coordinate efforts to locate a ‘missing swimmer’, who was found on rocks, not far from
the Demi des Pas. Reaching the casualty required the all-weather lifeboat to launch its
own, smaller craft - known as the Y-boat - to put two members of crew on the rock with
the casualty, administer first aid and prepare the casualty for extraction to the inshore
lifeboat, for onward transfer to the all-weather lifeboat.
Having served as a Royal Naval officer for more than 30 years, including commanding
HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK’s largest aircraft carrier, His Excellency, Vice Admiral
Jerry Kyd expressed his keen interest in the work of the RNLI, saying:
"Having been a professional mariner all my life, I wanted to come and see for myself
the crew at work. It's a complete privilege to be here with Gibby and his excellent crew
today seeing their professionalism and the slickness of all this. It's a great reminder to
everyone in Jersey about the safety wrap we have around the island that's here 24
hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to people in trouble offshore or on the
beaches. It's wonderful - I'm very, very impressed with what I've seen so far."
Although somewhat nerve wracking to have such an experienced and distinguished
mariner onboard St Helier’s all-weather lifeboat, the crew really appreciated the
Lieutenant Governor making the time to come and see their work. Nigel Sweeny, RNLI
Jersey’s Lifeboat Operations Manager said:
"We feel hugely privileged to have hosted the Lieutenant Governor onboard our all-weather
lifeboat. It really lifts the spirits of the crew to have such a distinguished visitor
taking an interest in our work, and we are very grateful to the Lieutenant Governor and
his team for making the time to see us."
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.
