Spotting an inflatable in the channel

[Bristolfashion]

Is there an official procedure or guidance for the correct procedure if an inflatable is spotted in the channel?

At the moment, I would have thought;

1. No difficulties or suspicious behaviour. No action.
2. No difficulties but somewhat suspicious. Report position to coastguard.
3. Difficulties, but no danger. Stand by to render assistance & inform coastguard.
4. Danger. Render assistance / rescue & inform coastguard.

But there may be some official guidance.

Cheers

 

[Gwylan]

Call it in, let the Authorities decide what to do.
Use your mobile, not VHF!

 

[nortada]

Call it in, let the Authorities decide what to do.
Use your mobile, not VHF!

Why and how far offshore will a mobile work

 

[Juan Twothree]

If it looks like a migrant boat then inform Dover CG, and they'll dispatch Border Force to deal with it.
If it's one they don't already know about, they'll probably also ask for a few details, such as colour, size, approximate number on board, position and track.
There's no issue with using your VHF.

 

[Stemar]

If they're under way, leave 'em alone, but tell the CG. If not, I'm in a small boat that would be overwhelmed by the number aboard the RIB. Stay well away and call it in unless there's immediate danger to life. In fact, that's the thing to do anyway even if there's only a couple of blokes on the rib. Desperate people may resort to desperate measure that would spoil my day, and I'm unlikely to be able to prevent them

 

[stranded]

If they're under way, leave 'em alone, but tell the CG. If not, I'm in a small boat that would be overwhelmed by the number aboard the RIB. Stay well away and call it in unless there's immediate danger to life. In fact, that's the thing to do anyway even if there's only a couple of blokes on the rib. Desperate people may resort to desperate measure that would spoil my day, and I'm unlikely to be able to prevent them

Sorry, my ‘like’ was a finger slip, though there is nothing there to particularly dislike. Just wanted to point out that as the goal of illegal migrants is to get to the UK, they have no reason to harm you if you are in UK waters unless you try taking them back to France - just something to bear in mind if faced with a moral quandary.

 

[Sandy]

Call it in, let the Authorities decide what to do.
Use your mobile, not VHF!

That will work in the Dover Straits, but unlikely to work further west unless they are almost on the beach.

 

[johnalison]

If you are concerned about revealing your identity when making a call, a DSC call to the CG will provide one layer of anonymity.

 

[duncan99210]

The advice in the eastern Mediterranean in those circumstances was to stand off and make a vhf call to the coastguard. That advice was based on the number game as the inflatables often held upward of 30 people and there’s no way an average yacht could cope with rescuing that many people.
No idea if there’s any official advice out there but I’d always stand off and issue a vhf call rather than attempting rescue, unless it was clear that life was at risk if I’d didn’t act immediately. Even then, it would only be after making sure that the coastguard had been told and I’d keep them updated as things progressed.

 

[Gary Fox]

1st duty is care of your vessel and crew, so inform the CG on VHF and carry on. If you are in the Dover Strait, you probably have a tide to catch.

 

[capnsensible]

[Content removed]

I would say it's a safety issue. Overloaded vessels unfit for a crossing. By making a sighting report you may help a rescue effort. Don't think it's about 'informing'.

 

[Juan Twothree]

1st duty is care of your vessel and crew, so inform the CG on VHF and carry on. If you are in the Dover Strait, you probably have a tide to catch.

That's fine if they're not in any immediate danger, but what if their boat was literally sinking underneath them?

It would be a nice gesture to at least throw then a line they could all hang on to until help arrives.

 

[Gary Fox]

That's fine if they're not in any immediate danger, but what if their boat was literally sinking underneath them?

It would be a nice gesture to at least throw then a line they could all hang on to until help arrives.

No physical contact, you don't know who you are dealing with, but maybe toss some flotation devices, stay in touch with CG on 16, and IF my passage plan permitted, stand off until professional help arrived, probably the UKBF free taxi service from Dover.
A lot would depend on the circumstances.

Edit: I would only throw them something if there was zero chance of one of my crew needing it later, and if I had a tide to catch which affected the safety of my crew (eg tide for getting into Gravelines or Calais) I wouldn't even a/c or slow down.

Further edit: We are not trained or equipped to deal with such people, apart from alerting authorities, which is our duty.
The first word of the first rule of 1st aid is DANGER. This means danger to you, to avoid further casualties. Common examples given in 1st Aid are electric current, toxic gas or the lingering presence of a crocodile in the bushes. On a yacht, we can't turn off the current, open a window or frighten away the predator.

I am not ethically entitled to expose my crew to any risk additional to those they expected when we left harbour.
A change of destination might be equally safe as my intended one, or it might not.
Physical contact with would-be immigrants in dinghies falls very far out of that category.

 

[Iliade]

The first rule of the sea is to render assistance to those in distress...

 

[Gary Fox]

The first rule of the sea is to render assistance to those in distress...

So the saying goes, and if dealing with the specific situation of illegal immigrants in the Dover Strait, a VHF call may be the only assistance I am prepared to offer.
I'm not sure anyway about 'The first rule of the sea..' though, there's a good case for saying that the 1st rule is keeping my boat and crew safe.

 

[Beelzebub]

So the saying goes, and if dealing with the specific situation of illegal immigrants in the Dover Strait, a VHF call may be the only assistance I am prepared to offer.
I'm not sure anyway about 'The first rule of the sea..' though, there's a good case for saying that the 1st rule is keeping my boat and crew safe.

Just like rescuing a drowning person. You look after number 1 and then, if you are able, assist the unfortunate person in distress.

 

[GHA]

The first rule of the sea is to render assistance to those in distress...

Apparently not missing the tide is much more important... sad that some sailors can have such total lack of empathy or compassion , not worthy to be called sailors. ?

 

[Never Grumble]

the RYA view on this is.
A small yacht is unlikely to be able to provide meaningful assistance to a boat carrying a significant number of migrants and it is quite possible that both the yacht and her crew would be put at risk were an attempt made to provide assistance. Moreover, even a small number of strangers on board a yacht might be capable of overwhelming the skipper and crew should they be minded to do so. In such circumstances, in our view SOLAS Chapter V does not require the skipper of a small yacht to intervene.
If a yacht does take migrants on board, it may encounter difficulties with the authorities in the port of arrival when seeking to disembark those migrants.
The suggested course of action should a yacht encounter migrants while underway is therefore to exercise caution, stand clear and inform the relevant search and rescue service. The reasons for not providing assistance should be noted in the log book.
In addition, passage plans should take into account whether the intended route passes through or close to known migrant routes and incorporate contingency plans accordingly.

 

[dom]

Sadly, I agree that great caution needs to be exercised in such circumstances. After all, it might not only be refugees aboard, as the organisers and their employees might also be involved. There is no getting away from that.

Thankfully, in practice I imagine this scenario is most unlikely to happen. The normal English Channel crossing routes are invariably close to helo support, and if a couple of suitably equipped military personnel were dropped onto most vessels I imagine the owners would be happy to then help in any way they could.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

As I commented earlier, the UK treatment of asylum seekers or such is in breach of International Law (Confirmd re their housing, this day). Certainly if you are more than 12miles off shore then International Law is your man.

If they are in distress render such aid as you can safely do as that is both moral and legal obligation, otherwise hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil