RNLI Jersey lifeboats rescue family from stricken yacht
On Tuesday evening at 9.28pm both the RNLI St Helier all-weather and inshore lifeboats were tasked to assist a French sailing vessel that had struck rocks just south of the tanker berth.
The vessel had eight people on board, including four children and infants. The crews arrived on scene 12 minutes after the initial page to find the vessel against the rocks, with some of the casualties already transferred to a liferaft and some on the rocks.
The inshore lifeboat and the daughter craft from the ALB quickly deployed crew members ashore to secure the casualties and transfer them to safety. The young children were promptly transported back to the harbour, while the remaining casualties were brought onto the lifeboats and met by our shore crew, Jersey Coastguard, and the Ambulance Service.
Peter Lawrence, duty Launch Authority said:
“This was a tricky rescue due to the number of casualties and the proximity to submerged hazards. Events unfolded really quickly and so it was down to the extensive training and great teamwork of our volunteer crews that the casualties were all able to be evacuated so quickly and without injury.”
All casualties from the sailing vessel were assessed at the lifeboat station, with two taken to the hospital for precautionary checks.
All lifeboats returned to St Helier where they were made ready for their next service.
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.
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