'Giving birth at sea was not part of the plan'

Giving birth was always going to mean a memorable day for Kyla Magell and husband Jake, but neither of them was prepared for their "surreal" experience on a marine ambulance.

Kyla, from Sark, welcomed her daughter Harriet off the tiny Channel Island of Jethou at 23:11 BST on 25 June, the day temperatures hit a record 36.4C (97.5F) in nearby Guernsey.

The mother-of-two said it had been "really hot" on board and being in a boat was "absolutely not" part of the birth plan, but she added: "I was quite calm because luckily everyone around me was calm."

Paramedic Jim Cathcart said the birth - the first on the Flying Christine marine ambulance in almost 18 years - had been a "very special moment".

There is no hospital for the islanders of Sark, only a GP practice with one doctor and one nurse.

Pregnant women are recommended to travel to Guernsey ahead of their due date to give birth in hospital, but baby Harriet arrived two weeks early.

Kyla said: "With my first born, I had an epidural and I thought, 'OK that's the way I'm gonna go with the second born' - it's calm, it's cool, it's collected, it's safe, you're in a hospital.

"[Being at sea] just was not part of our plan, but it turned out to be our plan."

When a baby is born, the place of birth is marked on their birth certificate, so what is on baby Harriet's?

"The territorial waters of the Bailiwick of Guernsey - it's quite a mouthful," father Jake said.

"I'm not sure what will be in her passport, but we'll find out."

The last baby born on the vessel was in August 2008 just outside Sark's harbour.

Cathchart said: "To have a birth on the Flying Christine is very unusual."

Volunteer coxswain Andy Lowe, who was at the helm of the Flying Christine on the night, said "everything seemed absolutely normal" when the vessel arrived in Sark.

"They came on board walking," he said. "We set off, going quite quick to get back, but sort of two thirds [of the way] back, the screaming was really getting a bit loud up here.

"Then the wailing started so we knew something had happened and we had another passenger on board."

When the coxwain realised Harriet had arrived, he quickly took a picture of the coordinates of the birth.

"The position was recorded in the time, and we wrote it all out in the logbook and gave it to the mum," said Lowe.

For Kyla, the exact time of Harriet's birth also has special meaning.

"Every time I see the clock and it's 11:11, I always make a little wish," she said.

"So when she came at 11:11, I thought it was really special."

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