FOUR people are ‘lucky to be alive’ after being rescued as a speedboat was about to drift on to rocks in St Aubin’s Bay.
The vessel that went to the rescue was skippered by Stephen Arthurs, and tribute was paid to him by Assistant Harbourmaster Capt Paul Mimmack, who said that Mr Arthurs put his vessel and passengers at great risk to save the four men drifting toward potential disaster west of Elizabeth Castle on Sunday afternoon.
The alarm was raised at about 1.45 pm when a hand-held flare was seen and vessels in the area were alerted to the stricken craft. Mr Arthurs took his 15-metre sea angling boat Sun Striker, which sustained minor damage, into depths as low as three feet in 10 ft waves to get close enough to get a rope on to the vessel.
The skipper then managed to get the four men from the speedboat on to the fishing vessel before manoeuvring to safety. Capt Mimmack said: ‘They are very lucky to be alive and should not have been out there. From a professional point of view, Mr Arthurs did a good job. He put himself, his passengers and his vessel at great risk to rescue the speedboat occupants.’
