Lifeboats Save Sinking French Yacht

Jersey's RNLI crews have rescued a French yacht taking on water at the Ecrehous.

The crew had woken in the night to find their cabin knee-deep in water.

St Catherine Inshore and St Helier All-weather lifeboats were launched just after 2am yesterday (Sunday 17 October)

They were joined by a French naval helicopter, and spent four hours at sea pumping water from the stricken yacht and escorting it out of the reef.

"It is believed that as the boat grounded on the low tide, pressure on the hull or keel caused the water ingress, but that as she had floated the hull had resealed.

Once the lifeboat’s salvage pump had been put aboard and the water level had started to drop, the helicopter was able to be stood down. By that time, the RNLI Jersey St Helier all-weather lifeboat was also on scene with their salvage pump as back-up. In addition, the Carteret SNSM lifeboat was also en route.

With the water level inside the yacht falling, and the ingress now under control, the St Catherine’s inshore lifeboat was able to guide the casualty vessel out of the reef and hand her over to the Carteret lifeboat for the return to Carteret." - RNLI Jersey.