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.”