Lifeboats called out overnight to incident off Herm

Tuesday 17 May 2022

Guernsey’s Coastguard rescued four sailors from a grounded vessel on the west coast of Herm last night after a distress call was received just after midnight.

In the early hours of 17 May, a 12-metre sailing yacht had broken free from its mooring whilst the crew were sleeping and had run aground on a reef causing the boat to lean over severely.

Concerned that the boat was damaged and taking on water, the crew abandoned ship to their dinghy and called for assistance. 

Both the St. Peter Port All Weather Lifeboat, ‘Spirit of Guernsey’ (ALB), and the Inshore Lifeboat, ‘Elizabeth and Margaret Milligan’ (ILB), were launched at 13:10. The ILB was able to recover the crew from the dinghy and transfer them to the safety of the ALB. 

The Coastguard said that whilst the crew were shaken, none had sustained any injuries. With the tide falling the yacht was unable to be refloated immediately. The ILB crew set about securing the vessel and setting lines to assist in recovering her once the tide had risen.

Pictured: The incident occurred close to the Rosaire Steps.

The yacht began to float at around 16:15 with the ILB pulling her safely off the rocks shortly after. Lifeboat crew assessed the vessel for damage and once it was clear that the boat was not taking on any water, the vessel was recovered and back to St Peter Port arriving shortly after 17:15.

Guernsey Coastguard SAR Mission Coordinator James Way said: “The crew of the sailing yacht were extremely fortunate that no injuries were sustained, and no significant damage was caused to their vessel. The crew of both Lifeboats did an exceptional job in bringing both the vessel and her crew to safety."

Pictured (top): Spirit of Guernsey lifeboat (credit: Dylan Ray).