At 12:02 PM on Thursday 19 June 2025, Guernsey Coastguard received a distress call via VHF radio from a 12-metre motor cruiser located to the east of Sark. The vessel was taking on water, with smoke emanating from the engine bay. Although the crew had secured the boat to a mooring buoy, they were unable to stem the ingress of water. In response, Guernsey Coastguard immediately paged the St Peter Port Lifeboat at 12:05 PM. The Lifeboat launched from Pierheads at 12:18 PM while the Coastguard maintained communication with the vessel. The situation continued to deteriorate, prompting the crew to prepare for evacuation into a dinghy. A nearby vessel rendered timely assistance, safely retrieving one of the crew members before the Lifeboat arrived on scene at 12:37 PM and recovered the remaining crew member. Three Lifeboat crew members were then transferred aboard the casualty vessel along with a salvage pump to begin dewatering operations. Recognizing the extent of the flooding, a second salvage pump was dispatched from Sark. The Lifeboat crew successfully identified the source of the water ingress and completed a temporary repair. In addition, an electrical issue—responsible for the smoke—was located and rectified. At 1:41 PM, the Lifeboat began towing the damaged vessel back to St Peter Port, accompanied by the Sarnia workboat to provide additional support if required. Both vessels arrived safely in harbour at 3:33 PM, where Harbour staff promptly craned the casualty vessel out of the water for inspection. Search Mission Coordinator Simon Granger commended the efforts of all involved: “This was an excellent response by numerous parties which resulted in the rescue of the two crew members. The swift actions of the Lifeboat Crew, assisted by the Sark Harbourmaster and the Sarnia Workboat, were instrumental in saving the boat. Our thanks also go to the first local vessel on the scene, which safely took one of the stricken vessel’s crew members off prior to the Lifeboat’s arrival.”

Guernsey, 18 April 2025 – Shortly after 11:00 AM on Friday, Guernsey Coastguard received a faint and broken “MAYDAY” distress call. No additional information accompanied the call, and no other Coastguard stations picked up the transmission. Guernsey Coastguard assumed coordination of the incident and began efforts to establish contact with the casualty. After several attempts, extremely poor communication was finally established with the distressed sailor. Through the broken transmission, Coastguard officers were able to determine the vessel’s name as Dasher. The solo sailor reported that all navigation equipment onboard had failed, leaving him disoriented amid poor weather and low visibility. Fatigue further compounded his situation. At 11:28 AM, the sailor confirmed that he had a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) onboard and was instructed to activate it. However, an immediate location fix was not obtained from the activation. At 11:49 AM, the sailor reported that he believed he was approximately 5 to 6 nautical miles north of Guernsey at the time his navigation systems failed. This provided the first search area, and both the St Peter Port All-Weather Lifeboat (ALB) Spirit of Guernsey and the Channel Islands Air Search (CIAS) aircraft Lions Pride were launched to search the area north of Guernsey. At 12:42 PM, Guernsey Coastguard was informed by the French Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Jobourg that a PLB position had been received, locating the vessel approximately 8 nautical miles west-southwest of Casquets Lighthouse. This new position was relayed to the lifeboat and air search teams, who made best speed to the location. Upon arrival, the lifeboat detected a radar target approximately 2 nautical miles north of the PLB coordinates. This was visually confirmed as the Dasher by the CIAS aircraft. By 1:00 PM, the Spirit of Guernsey arrived alongside the casualty vessel. Despite continued communication difficulties, it was quickly established that the sailor—while cold, wet, and fatigued—was uninjured. His cat was also found safe. A tow was established, and by 1:18 PM the lifeboat began the return journey to St Peter Port with Dasher secured astern. At 2:49 PM, the lifeboat crew alerted Guernsey Coastguard that Dasher appeared to be taking on water under tow. The Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) Harold Hobbs was tasked to assist with transferring crew and a salvage pump to the vessel. The IRB launched at 3:05 PM and rendezvoused with the lifeboat and Dasher in sheltered waters north of the island. Crew and a pump were transferred to the vessel, and the tow resumed. Around 4:30 PM, the lifeboats and Dasher arrived safely in St Peter Port Harbour, where the vessel was handed over to Guernsey Marinas staff. Search Mission Coordinator Mike Harris commented: “This was a successful search and rescue operation carried out in challenging conditions. The incident highlights the vital importance of carrying Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) or Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) onboard. Although the initial signal was delayed, having a registered and functioning PLB significantly shortened the time it took to locate the vessel. We also remind all mariners to ensure their EPIRBs or PLBs are properly registered and maintained. Our sincere thanks go to the St Peter Port Lifeboat crew and the Channel Islands Air Search team for their swift and professional response.” “Guernsey Coastguard would also like to thank the owners of the yacht “Jappeloup” who kindly provided “Dasher’s” owner (and cat), with dry clothing and accommodation onboard their vessel overnight.”

The Margaret Joan and Fred Nye 17-46 arrived today to cover for the St Peter Port lifeboat.

Our lifeboat is going back to Poole for some essential engine maintenance. The last time Margaret Joan and Fred Nye was in Guernsey was in 2009.