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After a gap of just under a month, Jersey now has an all-weather lifeboat once again.
The RNLI has today confirmed that a small crew of volunteers is already in the island, having been sent from various UK stations - meaning the George Sullivan is now on call in case of an emergency in the current bad weather.
Many islanders have been left worried about the lack of lifesaving services available for extreme sea rescues following the withdrawal of the island’s only all-weather lifeboat last month, after a relationship break down between the RNLI and the former St Helier crew.
A statement from the charity says, “…we can confirm that the RNLI has identified a small number of standby staff qualified to crew the George Sullivan and with experience of operating in local waters.”
But despite being here at the moment, the crew won’t be here on a permanent basis. They will be sent over to Jersey – via plane or ferry - when bad weather is predicted.
“..the crew is ready to travel to Jersey in advance of adverse weather conditions where our inshore lifeboats at St Helier and St Catherine would be unable to operate to ensure that an all-weather response is provided.” Said a statement from the charity.
While in the island, the RNLI crew will train St Catherine lifeboat volunteers and new recruits on the all-weather lifeboat in the hope it will be returned to full service next March.
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