FOUR people were rescued by RNLI crews on Sunday night after lifeboats were dispatched to two separate distress calls.
The all-weather lifeboat George Sullivan launched around 7.20pm after reports that two people aboard a motorboat had become lost in rain and poor visibility near La Rocque.
After locating the 13-foot Orkney vessel, the volunteer crew elected to hand over to the inshore lifeboat Spirit of St Helier which was better suited to carrying out rescues in shallow waters.
The inshore boat effectively “swapped” with the George Sullivan, which diverted to a second incident around five miles west of the French commune of Pirou, where a motor vessel with two people on board had lost power.
Assisted by a flare alarm from the affected boat, the lifeboat used radar and a searchlight to get alongside, with a decision taken to bring the stricken vessel back to Jersey as a result of the state of the tide.
The Spirit of St Helier returned the Orkney to La Collette just after 9pm, while the George Sullivan returned to St Helier around 11pm.
Paul Mimmack of the RNLI said: “These rescues came at the end of a long day for the volunteer crew at St Helier who had the annual car wash in the morning.
“Fortunately conditions for both call-outs were relatively favourable, although any search and recovery is more complicated in the dark.
“However, our crew train for these scenarios and that training paid off this evening.”
Mr Mimmack said the RNLI wished to remind all boat users to ensure they had the right equipment in the event of an emergency.
“Whilst mobile phones are useful as a last resort, mobile phone signals are often patchy at sea,” he said. “In addition to having lifejackets for all persons on board, boats should have a VHF radio and flares to help lifeboat crews maintain communication and locate them in the event of an incident.”
