THE family of a French sailor have thanked a Jersey lifeboat crew for their rapid response to a distress call.
A suspected stroke triggered the emergency call, which saw the Jersey Lifeboat Association vessel, the Albert Pinel, head out beyond Seymour Tower to a 50-foot catamaran.
JLA chief executive Simon O’Donoghue said crew members were in St Helier when the call came, enabling the Albert Pinel to be launched within seven minutes.
Taking advantage of calm sea conditions during the rescue on Thursday, the RIB reached the scene in just 14 minutes at an average speed of 46 knots.
Mr O’Donoghue said: “It was a tricky job as the casualty had collapsed on the flybridge and it was quite a tricky job to get a large man onto a stretcher and onto the Albert Pinel.
“We were helped by crew from Rival, the Ports of Jersey pilot vessel, and were able to keep in touch with other emergency services which meant we came straight back into the marina and handed him over to an ambulance crew within 48 minutes of having launched.”
The casualty had been on the catamaran with his wife, and Mr O’Donoghue said other family members had since been in touch to express their thanks for the assistance provided.
“It worked really well,” he said. “Speed is of the essence in cases like that, and we believe the Albert Pinel may be the fastest lifeboat vessel in the British Isles, so we really did cut the time gap until the casualty got to hospital to the absolute minimum.”
It is understood the casualty is due to be transferred from Jersey to a hospital in Brittany for his continued care.
“We hope he makes a full and speedy recovery,” Mr O’Donoghue added.
