Inshore lifeboat arrives to bolster island’s rescue fleet
GUERNSEY once again has an inshore rescue boat, after the arrival of the RNLI’s Atlantic 85 on Friday afternoon.
The Rib, Elizabeth and Margaret Milligan, is in the island on trial for the next two years.
After arriving on board the Commodore Clipper, she was craned into the harbour and then moved to her berth alongside the all-weather Severn class lifeboat, Spirit of Guernsey.
It will be operating alongside the Spirit once crew training has taken place.
Lifeboat operations manager for St Peter Port RNLI Captain Peter Gill said he was delighted to let everyone know the new Rib had arrived.
‘The next step is get the crew trained and qualified to use the new equipment before it is part of our operational fleet.
‘It’s a fantastic piece of kit which will dramatically improve our ability to keep people safe at sea in a broader range of circumstances.’
The RNLI has taken on operating an inshore rescue craft after the local St John charity decided to end its service last August.
It had carried out this function for several decades, but decided to stop following a significant drop in demand in recent years.
