On Friday evening, the Jersey Lifeboat Association was pre-alerted to a sailing vessel that had lost propulsion while making its way toward St Helier. The initial plan was for the yacht to continue under sail and seek assistance closer to port. However, at approximately 18:30, our all-weather lifeboat Sir Max Aitken III (affectionately known as Sir Max) was paged after the vessel lost the wind and was unable to make any further headway.
Local charter vessel Atlantic Isle responded swiftly, providing an initial tow to bring the yacht clear of immediate danger. Sir Max arrived shortly after and took over the tow.
With commercial traffic active in the area, the sailing vessel was held south of the Small Roads to allow marine traffic to clear before a safe transit into harbour. The vessel was brought alongside Albert Pier at around 20:00.
All those aboard were safe and well and carried the correct safety equipment. Our thanks go to the crew of the yacht for their preparedness and for seeking assistance before the situation escalated and to Atlantic Isle for their rapid support.
A good example of teamwork at sea and the value of acting early.
Your lives, your crew, your boats.