Man rescued from sinking boat at Les Ecrehous by Jersey lifeboat crew

A man has been rescued from a sinking boat off the coast of Jersey.

The St Catherine's lifeboat crew received an urgent call at 9:30pm on Friday night (21 April) which stated that a man was in distress at Les Ecrehous.

Initial reports from Jersey Coastguard revealed that the man was wearing a life jacket when the French vessel began to sink, and had ended up in the water.

The lifeboat approached the main island in the dark, but spotted a light in the distance which showed the location of the sinking boat.

On arriving at the scene, the crew found the man in the water holding his mobile phone with the torch on.

He was "alert and chatting with the crew" when he was pulled out of the water and onto the lifeboat, but was "suffering from the effects of the cold".

The crew transferred the man to the Carteret all-weather lifeboat where he was able to warm up quicker, and he was taken back to France to receive medical attention.

Overall, the rescue operation involved two French Helicopters, one French Lifeboat, the Channel Island Air Search, the RNLI St Helier all weather lifeboat and the RNLI St Catherine’s Lifeboat.

Robin Fitzgerald, Helm of the St Catherine's lifeboat, said: "We are thankful that the individual was wearing a life jacket and had a mobile phone with a torch, which helped us locate him.

"This is a reminder of the importance of always wearing a life jacket and having proper communication equipment when out on the water."

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