At 13:03 on Thursday 30th September 2021, a mayday call was received via VHF from a 19ft motorboat with 1 person on board who had encountered engine failure and was rapidly drifting towards Gate Rock in the Percee Passage. The wind on scene was South Westerly F6 and the sea state was Moderate to Rough. The casualty was able to drop anchor to prevent drifting further up the rocks.
The St Peter Port Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” was launched on service, arriving on scene at 13:24. The Guernsey Ports Harbour Rib, Herm Seahorse and Isle of Herm ferry also responded to the Mayday, who were ready to offer assistance if required.
Due to the falling tide and location of the causality, the Lifeboat crew launched their “Y Boat” which was able to access the shallowing water where the stranded vessel was located and connect a tow line in order to safely recover the casualty to safe water. The Lifeboat then towed the vessel back to St Peter Port arriving back on station at 14:05. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the incident was resolved promptly and effectively.
Kieran Higgs – SAR Mission Coordinator photos by Tony Rive
Pic by Tony Rive 30-09-2021Pic by Tony Rive 30-09-2021 Pic by Tony Rive 30-09-2021
At 16:52 on Saturday 11th September 2021, Guernsey Coastguard was alerted to a person in difficulty who had fallen from the ladder at Le Jaonnet Bay onto rocks.
Paramedics attended the scene and reported the casualty had been injured during the fall and was unable to climb back up the ladder.
St Peter Port Inshore Lifeboat “Elizabeth and Margaret Milligan” and All-Weather Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” were requested to assist and were launched on service at 17:31.
In the meantime, Paramedics assisted and comforted the casualty until the Inshore Lifeboat attended the scene, and was able to safely retrieve the casualty from the bay, before being transferred onto the All-Weather Lifeboat which then proceeded back to St Peter Port.
On return to St Peter Port Harbour, the casualty was placed in the care of St Johns Paramedics.
The Lifeboats were both back on station at 18:36.
photos by Tony Rive
Pic by Tony Rive 11-09-2021
Spirit of Guernsey picks up speed and heads back to St Peter Port harbour to be met by a waiting Ambulance.
At 11:40am on Sunday 5th September 2021, Guernsey Coastguard received a call from a dive boat 3 miles east of Sark reporting that one of their divers had surfaced early, feet first and with air trapped in his suit. Whilst the diver was alert and breathing normally, there was concern about the possibility of decompression sickness.
St Peter Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” launched on service at 12:10pm with paramedics on board and proceeded at speed to rendezvous with the dive boat. Arriving on scene at 12:28pm, the casualty was safely transferred to the Lifeboat and transported back to Guernsey arriving in St Peter Port at 12:45pm. The casualty was transferred by ambulance to the hyperbaric chamber at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital as a precaution.
At 14:30 on Sunday 29th August 2021, Guernsey Coastguard received a VHF radio call from the 23-meter motor vessel “Juliette” which at the time was approximately 2.5nm south-south-west of the Hanois Lighthouse. The vessel indicated that it had fouled its Port propeller shaft and was tethered to the seabed by fishing gear.
A Pan-Pan radio call was broadcast by Guernsey Coastguard asking any vessel in the area for assistance however, there was no response to that call and at 14:47 the St Peter Port All-Weather Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” was launched to go to the assistance of “Juliette”.
The “Spirit of Guernsey” arrived on scene at 15:25 and quickly cleared the fishing gear from “Juliette’s” Port propeller shaft. The casualty vessel was then escorted back into Petit Port on the South coast of Guernsey where Juliette’s crew carried out an inspection of the crafts propeller shafts and rudders.
Once the crew of the “Juliette” were content that there was no damage to their vessel the “Spirit of Guernsey was stood down and returned to St Peter Port where she was back on station by 17:09.
M/V “Juliette” continued her passage to Salcombe in the UK.
At 11:48 on Saturday 14 August, Operators in JESCC received a 999 call from Kayakers in trouble in the Petit Bot area on the South coast of Guernsey which resulted in a multiagency response from Guernsey Coastguard, Guernsey Police, St John’s Ambulance Service and both, the St Peter Port All-Weather Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” and the Inshore Lifeboat “Elizabeth & Margaret Milligan.
The Inshore Lifeboat arrived on scene at 12:11 closely followed by the All-weather Lifeboat at 12:15. A medical assessment of the Kayakers, who had been in the water for some time was made and because of the serious condition of one of the casualties, it was decided to attempt to land them ashore to the beach at Petit Bot where Ambulance and Police staff were waiting.
Due to a large swell in the bay, this was not possible, and the decision was made to transfer the casualties to the All-Weather Lifeboat for transportation back to St Peter Port.
Both Lifeboats arrived back into St Peter Port at 12:42 where all casualties were handed over to a waiting Ambulance there.
Both Lifeboats were back on station by 13:06
At 18:21, Guernsey Coastguard received a call from a RIB that had suffered mechanical failure and was in need of assistance approximately 4 nautical miles North of Platte Fougere on the North Coast of Guernsey.
At 18:25 a Pan-Pan broadcast was made and motor vessel “Laura Jane” offered assistance and proceeded to the scene.
At 18:34 the St Peter Port All-Weather Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” was also launched to go to the aid of the broken-down RIB.M/V “Laura Jane” arrived on scene at 18:56 and managed to establish a tow with the RIB which was handed over to the All-Weather Lifeboat at 19:12.“Spirit of Guernsey” and the casualty vessel arrived back into St Peter Port at 19:36 where the tow was handed over to Guernsey Harbour staff.
The Lifeboat was back on station by 19:41
It was during the second incident that at 19:00, another vessel approximately half a nautical mile north-west of the “Lower Heads” buoy called Guernsey Coastguard to declare an engine failure and that they too needed assistance.
The vessel “Grafter” responded to the casualty vessel’s call and arrived on scene at 19:26 whereby a tow was established and both boats arrived safely back into St Peter Port at 19:46.
