The Atlantic 85 lifeboat – David Page – has been out of action since 17 November when the RNLI closed the St Helier station and disbanded its crew of 25 volunteers following a long-running dispute.
Since then, the charity has been working on a plan to get the inshore boat back up and running and have been holding training sessions for Fire and Rescue Service staff as well as other RNLI volunteers who have experience on lifeboats to get used to the boat.
The crew manning the vessel will be on call 24-hours-a-day from Monday and the charity says it is the first step in returning the St Helier RNLI
service to its previous level of cover for the area. The charity took the station’s all-weather vessel to Poole, but hope to bring it back to the Island soon while they work to recruit a new crew.
Liam Krige, the RNLI’s area lifesaving manager, said: ‘We know that residents of Jersey want to see a fully restored lifesaving service around their coast.
‘We are grateful to those who have offered their support to help make this happen. The next step will be to welcome the all-weather lifeboat back to the Island and we are working hard so this can take place as soon as possible.’
David Page is a B-class lifeboat, which is the RNLI’s fastest coastal lifeboat. It has a top speed of 35 knots. It is crewed by three or four volunteers and is ideal for rescues close to the shore or cliffs, and is able to handle quite challenging open sea conditions.
The Atlantic 85 can operate in a force seven in daylight,
in force six winds at night and can rescue up to 20 people at a time.
A recruitment drive is currently underway for RNLI volunteers in Jersey.
Anyone interested in volunteering should attend the open days at the St Helier Lifeboat Station on the Albert Pier between 4 pm and 8 pm on 8 December and 9 am and 4 pm on 9 December. Those who are interested but cannot attend can email volunteering@rnli.org.uk or call 01202 663346.
