Jersey lifeboat crew rescue stricken French fishing boat in the dark

A Jersey lifeboat crew had to rescue a stricken French fishing boat after it crashed into rocks off the north east coast of the island.

The RNLI's inshore lifeboat crew were woken at 1:50am on Saturday (26 November) to attend the French vessel which was stranded at the Ecrehous reef.

In pitch-black conditions and on a spring low tide, the crew were able to reach the vessel which had begun to flood.

The four crew members aboard the fishing boat had been air lifted by French helicopter by the time the Jersey crew reached the scene.

Watch as the rescue crew navigates through the water to the abandoned boat in the darkness. Credit: RNLI Jersey

The rescue team managed to recover the liferaft that the French crew had launched to escape their boat.

They then stayed with damaged fishing boat until salvage operations could begin.

Three hours later the team arrived back at their station at St Catherine's where they refueled the lifeboat.