JLA coxswain Andy Hibbs said the organisation had responded to two callouts last week, including one over the weekend. Both were minor incidents involving equipment failures.
Ahead of the summer bank holiday on 30 August, Mr Hibbs encouraged boat owners and beach-goers to take the necessary precautions and stay safe in the water.
He said: ‘Everybody should be checking their boats and be aware of their limitations, and they should also be careful of the winds and tides.’
He urged anyone heading out to sea – including kayakers and paddle boarders – to use the new Trace web application created by Jersey Coastguard. Launched during a maritime safety campaign, the app allows mariners to submit transit reports instead of calling Jersey Coastguard over the radio. It also features a number of resources such as tide times and safety information.
RNLI Jersey has warned that the number of maritime incidents is likely to increase this month as the weather improves. Jim Galvin, duty forecaster at Jersey Met, said the Island ‘could see some warmer days’ but that conditions were likely to be varied in the coming weeks.
Mr Hibbs said: ‘Normally the bank holiday weekends are pretty busy as long as the weather is good.’
Meanwhile, the JLA has returned its new, super-fast RIB to the UK for warranty work after experiencing a few ‘teething issues’.
Mr Hibbs said this work would soon be completed and would not impact the JLA’s ability to help keep Islanders safe.
The Trace app can be accessed online at poj.knack.com/trace.
