“Mayday” message to keep safe on the water

Sunday 26 July 2015

Check the weather and tides, make sure your vessel is safe, ensure you have a way of making a distress call and take a lifejacket – that’s the advice from Coastguard in their annual “Safety @ Sea Campaign”.

The coastguard undertake the campaign every year to make sure that Islanders and visitors heading out on the water take the proper precautions.

They have drawn up a simple checklist to help everyone remember the things that they need to do:

• Monitor the weather and tides.

• Advise Jersey Coastguard by logging a traffic report.

• Your vessel – have you done your checks?

• Distress – always have a means of calling for help.

• Are you trained and competent for where you plan to go?

• Your safety – make sure you’re wearing your lifejacket.

Safety concerns led the coastguard to ban “tombstoning” from piers, and swimming and diving around St Helier Harbour.

Although a lot of the incidents that happen every year involve tourists, the coastguard say that even experienced Islanders need reminding about safety basics from time-to-time.

Jersey Coastguard Manager Russell Mathews said: “There have been a number of beach incidents already this summer where people have been left stranded because the quickly rising tide has cut them off.

“Although this does appear to catch out visitors more frequently it is important to remind residents who can easily forget just how quickly tides come in.”

There’s more information online at the coastguard’s website which also publishes tide calculators and practical advice.