RNLI Jersey back on Saving Lives at Sea

Tuesday, 15 September 2026 11:59

By Harry Booth

The work of volunteers in Jersey, who risk their lives at sea to save others, will be shown on national TV tonight (15 September) for the second week in a row.

In the last episode of Saving Lives at Sea, RNLI Jersey's St Helier lifeboat crew rescued two teenage girls and their unconscious father on a French yacht 16 miles west of St Helier.

Today's episode will show a completely different type of rescue, with both St Helier lifeboats launching to a French vessel that hit the harbour wall, just south of the tanker berth in St Helier harbour.

Eight people were on board, including four children who were in a life raft waiting to be rescued.

Josh Dearing, volunteer all-weather lifeboat mechanic, said:

"This rescue was slightly different. It wasn't some crazy 20 miles out at sea, force eight scenario, it was very close.

"It was just outside the harbour, which made it almost trickier than a normal shout would be.

"It is cool that people can see, especially where their donations are going as well. They can see what sort of things we get up to, it's interesting for them, and it's important that they get to see what were doing out on the water."

The episode is on at 8pm on BBC2.

It airs amid a heated immigration debate in England, with protests taking place in Portsmouth after 120 migrants arrived by dinghy at Eastney Beach.

Some of the charity's volunteers at its headquarters in Poole have since faced abuse, with social media footage showing them being labelled 'traitors'.

Mr Dearing said:

"We're away from that, but it's a terrible thing what's happening. It's not fair on the volunteers, it's got nothing to do with them, and they should not be persecuted for the job they do."