The RNLI St Peter Port

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Welcome to the official web site for the St Peter Port lifeboat!

The Guernsey lifeboat station is one of only four in the Channel Islands. Operating for over 200 years, the crews of the Guernsey lifeboats have been honoured with several awards for gallantry.

A Lifeboatman being lowered to the deck of Spirit of Guernsey by Royal Navy Helicopter 05/06/09 - Picture by Tony Rive

The first Lifeboat Station on Guernsey was established at St Sampsons in 1803 following representation to the then States of Guernsey by the Douzaine (local parish council) of St Peter Port. The Station was taken over by the RNLI in 1861 and subsequently moved to St Peter Port, where it is presently based, in 1881.

The Station has seen a variety of lifeboats over the years and the current lifeboat is the Severn class 'Spirit of Guernsey'. The Island has always been proud to support the Lifeboat Station and crews; in 1973 a special appeal raised a considerable sum towards the cost of the Arun Class "Sir William Arnold".

Twenty years later an appeal was launched to raise £1 million to support the building of "Spirit of Guernsey". Thanks to the generosity of friends in Guernsey, Sark, Herm and further afield, the target was achieved within one year.

The RNLI relies entirely on voluntary donations.

Guernsey's safety and official fleet

Records show that the Guernsey Lifeboats have been launched over 1,330 times and saved almost 600 lives. Guernsey can be extremely proud of the many Coxswains and crew who have accumulated a most impressive number of RNLI gallantry awards with no less than 2 Gold Medals, 8 Silver Medals and 15 Bronze Medals being awarded since 1861. There were also 6 Silver Medals awarded before the RNLI took over the Station. In addition, the bravery and skill of local crews have been recognised by several foreign Governments with awards from France, Norway, Greece and Liberia. This show of bravery is almost unparalleled by any other RNLI Station in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Picture by Brian Green

Registered Charity Number 209603 - for the Official RNLI web site, please visit www.rnli.org.uk

“ARCADY” Drifting off Beaucette Marina

At 1302 this afternoon (Wednesday 24th February) St Peter Port Radio received a call from the yacht “Arcady” drifting with engine problems off “Beaucette Marina” with two people on board.

The St Peter Port Lifeboat “Spirit of Guernsey” was launched at 1317 and found “Arcady” with two people on board drifting approximately 1/2nm Southeast of Beaucette Marina,

The Lifeboat was alongside the casualty at 1348, towing the vessel back to St Peter Port Harbour, arriving at approximately 1430.

M W Galliott
S.A.R. Co-Ordinator

Engine room fire on French Yacht 'Anita Bomba'

At 11:56 this morning St Peter Port Radio received a Pan call via Cross Joburg that the French yacht “Anita Bomba“ approximately 1nm East of St Peter Port Harbour had suffered an engine room fire, and the crew had taken to the Life raft.

The “Sark Venture” with skipper Gary Watson was first to arrive at 12:08 transferring the crew from the life raft onto the Sark Venture and back to St Peter Port Harbour.

The St Peter Port Lifeboat was launched and found the “Anita Bomba”at 12:08 towing the casualty back to St Peter Port with the engine room fire extinguished.

Royal Bank of Canada raise over £8000

A big thank you to everyone at Royal Bank of Canada who, last year, having adopted the Guernsey Lifeboat as their charity of the year, raised more than £8000

RNLI Annual Dinner and Dance

The Annual RNLI Dinner and Dance will be held on the 24th April at The Duke of Richmond Hotel this year starting from 7-7.30 and finishing late

With a four course meal and live entertainment provided by City Limits, tickets are priced at £45 each and are available from the Harbour Office

See attached document for a full menu and further details

A Look Back on the Past Year

This year so far (2009), St Peter Port has already had a total of ‘34 shouts’- against a ten year rolling average of 25. Although some of these have been medical cases from Sark, which tends to distort the picture somewhat, a period of eight days in May provided a snapshot of what has become routine for the Guernsey lifeboat.

Latest edition of Shout!

The latest edition of Shout! the Lifeboat Association Newsletter has been published.

Click here to download a copy

New RNLI Calendar

The new 2010 Lifeboat calendar is on sale now from various places around the harbour and from lifeboat crew members. The calendar is priced at £5 with all proceeds going towards the Ladies Lifeboat Guild and Guernsey's Lifeboat Station

Events

GU 10 Concert at St. James

On Saturday 16th April, GU 10 and other groups will be performing at St. James. Arrive at 7.30 for an 8 O'clock start. A Ploughman's supper will be provided

Flag Day

RNLI south west annual rescue statistics released on the charity’s SOS Day

30 Jan 2009 - There are four lifeboat stations in the Channel Islands, which last year housed 6 lifeboats. In 2008 they launched to 103 emergencies (106 in 2007) and rescued 204 people (138 in 2007). The volunteer crews spent 162 hours at sea on emergency call outs alone.

The St. Peter Port lifeboat launched a total of 21 times in 2008, twelve times for pleasure craft, six times for fishing vessels and twice for commercial vessels. It launched three times, but performed no direct service, where the casualty was attended by other responders. The total number of persons on board vessels to which the lifeboat was called and thus ‘at risk’ was 105 and it is heartening to report that no lives were lost in respect of the calls to which our lifeboat responded in 2008.