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RNLI announce a new era of lifesaving in the Channel Islands

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Credit: RNLI

Over the next three years, RNLI lifeboat crews in Alderney, St Peter Port and St Helier will receive the newest, state of the art, modern Shannon class all weather lifeboat which will replace each station’s current all weather lifeboat. The changes will allow RNLI lifeboat crews to respond effectively to the changing way people and visitors to the Islands are using the water and save the greatest number of lives in the most effective way. 

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. Designed entirely in house by a team of RNLI engineers and built at the RNLI’s all weather lifeboat centre in Poole, Dorset, the Shannon includes the very latest in lifesaving technology, including enhanced navigation tools which allows each crew member access to navigational and systems information from any position within the wheelhouse.

St Peter Port’s current all weather Severn class lifeboat Spirit of Guernsey (ON1203) will change to a Shannon class all weather lifeboat towards the end of 2027

Alongside the all-weather lifeboat changes which are part of the wider lifeboat fleet strategy, the current Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat at St Peter Port will be modernised to better support the volunteer crew.

Six rescued after vessel runs aground outside Bordeaux Harbour

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At approximately 08:35 BST on Saturday, 23 August 2025, Guernsey Coastguard received a report from a local vessel that another craft was stuck on rocks just outside Bordeaux Harbour.

Upon speaking with the reporting vessel, Coastguard officers determined that the grounded vessel was in need of immediate assistance, with several people still on board. The St Peter Port Lifeboat was paged at 08:40.

Shortly after, the casualty vessel itself issued a Mayday call to Guernsey Coastguard, confirming that six people were on board and required urgent assistance. Coastguard officers maintained communication with the vessel, confirmed there were no injuries, and informed the crew that rescue efforts were underway.

The St Peter Port Inshore Lifeboat launched at 08:53 and arrived on scene at 08:59. All six individuals were safely transferred to the lifeboat and landed at St Sampson’s Harbour by 09:05.

Following the successful evacuation, the lifeboat returned to the casualty vessel, which was at risk of shifting from the rocks due to the falling tide. The Sarnia workboat was also alerted and dispatched to provide assistance.

As the tide receded, a tow line was established at 10:20. The vessel was successfully pulled from the rocks, and personnel were placed aboard to assess any damage. The vessel was then towed into St Sampson Harbour, where it was handed back to its owner.

Duty SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC) Simon Granger said: “ This was a successful outcome with no injuries, I would like to thank the reporting vessel who called the Coastguard in a timely manner and then remained on scene keeping a watch on the casualty until the lifeboat arrived. I would also like to thank the crews of the St Peter Port Lifeboat, and the team onboard the Sarnia workboat for their swift, professional, and coordinated response”.

New RNLI shop at the Bridge

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The new shop opened on the Bridge on Saturday 2nd August 2025. The crew and supporters were there to welcome the first customers.

To pop in when you are down The Bridge in St Sampsons.

Search for Person in the Water

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At 3:35am on Friday 1st August 2025, Guernsey Coastguard received a broken MAYDAY call from a sailing vessel approximately 15 miles northwest of Guernsey.

Communications were poor but another vessel in the area was able to relay messages from the casualty. It was quickly established that a 72-year-old male from the sailing vessel had entered the water and could no longer be seen.

St Peter Port Lifeboat and Channel Islands Air Search were alerted and launched on service. A French Rescue helicopter was also requested from the French Coastguard.

Once on scene, Air Search located an object in the water and directed the Lifeboat to investigate. The object was found to be a man overboard marker which had been deployed by the casualty vessel shortly after the person entered the water. A search was commenced from this marker position and the casualty was located by the Lifeboat at 5:45am. Once recovered from the water, the casualty was winched onboard the French Rescue helicopter for transfer to Cherbourg Hospital. He was later pronounced deceased.

Acting Harbour Master James Way said: “I would like to praise the efforts of the search and rescue crews during this incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time”.

St Peter Port Lifeboat assists vessel taking on water

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At 12:02 PM on Thursday 19 June 2025, Guernsey Coastguard received a distress call via VHF radio from a 12-metre motor cruiser located to the east of Sark. The vessel was taking on water, with smoke emanating from the engine bay. Although the crew had secured the boat to a mooring buoy, they were unable to stem the ingress of water. In response, Guernsey Coastguard immediately paged the St Peter Port Lifeboat at 12:05 PM. The Lifeboat launched from Pierheads at 12:18 PM while the Coastguard maintained communication with the vessel. The situation continued to deteriorate, prompting the crew to prepare for evacuation into a dinghy. A nearby vessel rendered timely assistance, safely retrieving one of the crew members before the Lifeboat arrived on scene at 12:37 PM and recovered the remaining crew member. Three Lifeboat crew members were then transferred aboard the casualty vessel along with a salvage pump to begin dewatering operations. Recognizing the extent of the flooding, a second salvage pump was dispatched from Sark. The Lifeboat crew successfully identified the source of the water ingress and completed a temporary repair. In addition, an electrical issue—responsible for the smoke—was located and rectified. At 1:41 PM, the Lifeboat began towing the damaged vessel back to St Peter Port, accompanied by the Sarnia workboat to provide additional support if required. Both vessels arrived safely in harbour at 3:33 PM, where Harbour staff promptly craned the casualty vessel out of the water for inspection. Search Mission Coordinator Simon Granger commended the efforts of all involved: “This was an excellent response by numerous parties which resulted in the rescue of the two crew members. The swift actions of the Lifeboat Crew, assisted by the Sark Harbourmaster and the Sarnia Workboat, were instrumental in saving the boat. Our thanks also go to the first local vessel on the scene, which safely took one of the stricken vessel’s crew members off prior to the Lifeboat’s arrival.”

Multi-Agency Search for Person In The Water At Cobo Bay

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Young Person Rescued from the Sea at Cobo Bay At approximately 6:30pm yesterday evening (23rd April 2025), the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre (JESCC) received a 999 call from members of the public reporting a young person in distress in the water at the north end of Cobo Bay, on Guernsey’s west coast. Callers stated the individual appeared to be struggling and was being rapidly swept out to sea. JESCC immediately passed the call and initial details to Guernsey Coastguard, who promptly initiated a multi-agency response. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) inshore lifeboat Harold Hobbs was paged, along with the Channel Islands Airsearch (CIAS) aircraft. A Coastguard officer from the drone unit was also deployed to the scene. The Coastguard officer arrived on scene at 6:50pm and, with the assistance of a member of the public and binoculars provided from the Coastguard vehicle, confirmed visual contact with the casualty. The member of the public maintained a watch until the drone was launched, which then provided aerial overwatch until the arrival of the IRB. At approximately 7:00pm, the RNLI inshore lifeboat reached the scene and quickly located and recovered the young person from the water. The casualty was transported to the beach at Cobo, where they were assessed by an awaiting ambulance crew. Due to the extended time spent in the water—over 90 minutes—and concerns about potential seawater ingestion, the decision was made to transport the individual to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital for further observation. The CIAS aircraft was stood down at 7:10pm, and the RNLI lifeboat returned to station by 7:42pm.