The Channel Islands
- Allan & Helen
- 12 hours ago
- 7 min read
Our journey to the beautiful Channel Islands began on Thursday afternoon with a short 45 minute flight from Gatwick Airport to Guernsey. We took a bus to the hotel situated in the center of St Peter Port and got ourselves settled. We headed out to have a look around the town and walk around the Harbour, popping by the Lifeboat Station and to see the lifeboat moored alongside the jetty. We also spotted two former lifeboats moored in the Harbour. SSR53310 is the former Mersey Class, 12-21 Margaret Jean an ex-relief lifeboat that served some time at Lytham and Exmouth. There was also an ex Tyne Class called Annie Blaker (47-035) which was stationed at Wicklow in Ireland. It is now owned by former St Peter Port Coxswain Buz White MBE and used for private charters.
We were meeting some of Allan’s bowling colleagues from the Island for a meal in the evening and we enjoyed a lovely pub dinner just a short drive from the hotel. We would like to thank Ali, Ian, Paul and Carol for their very generous donation to our challenge.
The following morning we got off to an early start heading for the airport at 7:30am ready for our day on the Island of Alderney – so we thought! The night before, upon returning to the Hotel, we had received a flight cancellation message from the airline followed shortly after by another saying the flight wasn’t cancelled. We were very confused. When we arrived at the airport it was clear that there were some delays caused in part by the weather and also to poorly aircraft. Our flight was going to be delayed and they were sending an aircraft from Land’s End to service the route for the day. Ironically the aircraft was the same one we travelled to the Isles of Scilly on almost a year to the day. To cut a long story short, the flight updates came around every hour with further delays until we had to make a decision as we were both running out of time to get to Alderney and back and no guarantee of even getting back. Eventually the airline cancelled the flight and we left the airport 6 hours after our arrival with disappointment and a refund. We returned to the Hotel and then went out for a meal in town reflecting on a bit of a wasted day spent in the airport.
St Peter Port Lifeboat Station
On Saturday we took our time getting ready for the day before heading down to the town and the Harbour for a visit to the Guernsey Lifeboat Station. We took some photos of the Severn Class Lifeboat and our evidence photo outside of the iconic station building. Whilst doing so we were met by Station Mechanic, Carl who welcomed us to the station and showed us down to the Lifeboat and showed us onboard.
17-04 Spirit of Guernsey, is the second oldest Severn Class in the active fleet after 17-03 stationed in Harwich. Built in 1995, she entered service at St Peter Port in 1997 replacing an Arun Class called Sir William Arnold. Carl had an incredible 32 years service and remembers the arrival of Spirit of Guernsey and training on her in his early career alongside his Coxswain father. He had some fascinating stories to tell. We spend some time chatting with Carl as he passionately showed us around the boat. He then took us to the end of the jetty where their Atlantic 85 B-Class was moored on a Versadock, a floating slipway which keeps the boat out of the water.
Their station B-Class was away for some maintenance and under the productive cover sat one of the newest of its class in the fleet, B-946 Spirit of Cooperation. The name was familiar to us and looking back through our photos we remembered it from the ILC in Cowes just after it had its naming ceremony. The station boat is B-943 Harold Hobbs, more on that name shortly.
Having seen the boats, Carl showed us to the crew room located on top of the iconic Harbour Masters building. The station has been in operation since 1803, originally located north of St Peter Port in the town of St Sampson. In 1861 the station was taken over by the RNLI and a new lifeboat house was built. Operations moved to St Peter Port in 1881 and to its current location in 1992. Carl showed us some of the fascinating history of the station and its crew members. In particular the story of Harold Hobbs, after whom their B-Class is named.
On 29th June 1940, Guernsey lifeboat crews were requested to assist evacuating the Jersey Lifeboat to Guernsey and subsequently evacuating both boats to England to avoid them falling into German hands. Coxswain F Hobbs raised a crew of seven to head to Jersey and left St Peter Port just after 4pm. With just 15 minutes remaining of their journey into Jersey Harbour, three German aircraft attached the lifeboat and its crew. Machine gun artillery hit the boat and several crew including Harold Hobbs, the Coxswains son, killing him instantly. The surviving crew limped into Jersey. As a consequence of not being able to evacuate the lifeboats, they fell into German hands and used as a patrol boat and scrapped at the end of the war. Harold Hobb’s named live on adorning the side of the current B-Class Lifeboat.
Carl explained that his own family have a long service history with the St Peter Port Lifeboat. His father, Peter, served for 16 years as second Coxswain and Coxswain. He was highly decorated by the RNLI as well as being honoured with an MBE in 1996.
After a fascinating visit, Carl offered to drive us up to St Sampsons to the pop-up RNLI shop. Here we met Donna who we had a long chat with. We purchased our badges and other merchandise before heading back into town to enjoy the rest of the afternoon on the Island.
A huge thank you to Carl for a fantastic visit and to Donna for a warm welcome to the shop.
We made our way to the airport later in the afternoon in the hope that we could get our onward flight to Jersey. Everything was on time and the weather had improved in Jersey where we were met by Helen’s Cousin Joanne. We enjoyed a lovely meal with Joanne and her husband Nick and they very kindly accommodated us and offered to take us to our remaining two visits on Sunday.
St Catherine’s Lifeboat Station
After a leisurely breakfast Jo and Nick drove us down to St. Catherine’s Bay and to the lifeboat station.
It was very foggy and the Atlantic 85 was out on exercise, evident by the empty carriage on the slipway. We popped our head in the door and were warmly welcomed by Jim and Roger who made us a cup of tea whilst showing us the crew room and the many artifacts and photos.
With an increase of leisure activities, anglers and canoeists around the bay, sheltered by a huge breakwater, a lifeboat station was established in 1969 to house inshore lifeboats. A new boat house was built in 1984 along the sea wall and used until 1991. The current boathouse was acquired as an old farm building in 1990 and altered to accommodate an Atlantic 21 and subsequently refurbished in 2006 to house the current Atlantic 85 and Talus Launch Tractor.
We were alerted to the return of the lifeboat from exercise and invited out to the slipway, with the necessary PPE, to watch the recovery. Following recovery to the slipway and before a wash down the crew kindly allowed us onboard for a photo and a look around the boat.
Atlantic 85, B-841, Eric W Wilson has been on station since 2010. She was funded from the bequest of the late Mrs Winifred Madge Wilson in memory of her husband. The lifeboat naming ceremony in 2011 had to be paused, as the lifeboat was called out to a speedboat in difficulties, 4 miles north of the station.
After chatting with the crew and Launch Authority Chris, we said our farewells and walked along the coast to the 600 metre Breakwater before heading for our final destination of this trip.
St Helier Lifeboat Station
Standing proudly on Albert Pier in the harbour of St Helier, the Lifeboat Station is adorned with a distinctive mural depicting Thomas James King who was Coxswain of the St Helier Lifeboat between 1945 and 1949. Thomas was awarded a Gold Medal for gallantry following the rescue of four from a yacht in heavy breaking seas amongst treacherous rocks in September 1949. This rescue came immediately after a long search for a crashed aircraft earlier in the day.
There was unfortunately no one at the station to meet us. We never take it for granted that anyone will be available at stations. As volunteers they have their family and lives to take preference and we absolutely respect that. We took our evidence photo with the bears and some photos of the two lifeboats moored on the jetty.
The St Helier station was established in 1830 and taken over by the RNLI in 1884. Between June 1940 and May 1945 the station was not under the RNLI’s control as the Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans as recalled in the Harold Hobbs story mentioned earlier. The current station building was completed in 1993.
There are two lifeboats based at the station. The Tamar Class, George Sullivan (16-12) on station in 2009 and an Atlantic 85, Spirit of St Helier (B-934) on station in 2022. The latter being moored on a Versadock.
We left the lifeboat station and headed back to the airport after some lunch with Jo and Nick. Another amazing trip with some fantastic visits. It was a shame we could not make it to Alderney but plans are already in place for a return in April.
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