Services - 2012

7th May 2012 - ALB

At 6.04am on Monday May 7 St Davids RNLI lifeboat and its volunteer crew launched on service to rescue three persons, two men aged 41 and 49 and a 16 year old girl from Maryport Cumbria. They had sent out a mayday transmission from their 30ft yacht Kent Venture, stating that they were approximately five nautical miles west of Ramsey Island, while on passage from Milford Haven to Workington Cumbria.
They had suffered a broken mast and engine failure and were in need of of urgent assistance. 

Communications were patchy due to the mast being broken, but the lifeboat located them after approximately forty five minutes from the time of launch. The lifeboat crew then managed to secure a tow line to the yacht and proceeded to take it under tow to Fishguard Harbour. Whilst proceeding it was decided to take the three persons off the yacht to the lifeboat as two of the party were suffering from hypothermia. Meanwhile two lifeboat crewmembers boarded the yacht together with a salvage pump, as the vessel was taking on a bit of water.

Once at Fishguard Harbour, Fishguard inshore lifeboat launched and transferred the three persons ashore where they checked by ambulance paramedics, with no medical treatment required.

After securing the yacht onto the lifeboat emergency moorings, St Davids lifeboat returned to station rehousing at 12.55pm. 

19th April 2012 - ALB and ILB

St Davids RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched at 2.10pm on Thursday 19th April to reports of seven kayakers, a party of advanced kayak instructors, in difficulties in rough seas near St Davids Head. Initial reports indicated that there were people in the water.

When the lifeboat arrived on scene it was quickly established that three people, one of which had been washed out of his kayak, were ashore on Porthmelgan beach. It was decided that St Davids inshore lifeboat should be launched to escort two of them back to Whitesands whilst St Davids coastguards brought one person to Whitesands in their 4x4.

Meanwhile the remaining four kayakers had come ashore at on a small beach at Gesail Bay, about 1 mile north east of St Davids Head. As the beach was inaccessible from land it was decided to evacuate the four men onto the lifeboat with an RAF rescue helicopter standing by. Sea conditions at Gesail Bay made it difficult to recover the kayakers and their equipment onto the lifeboat. Once all of the kayakers were onboard they were taken to Whitesands where they were met by the coastguard.

The lifeboats then returned to station arriving at 4.10pm.

3rd April 2012 - ILB

On Tuesday April 3 at 12.22pm St Davids RNLI inshore lifeboat "Myrtle and Trevor Gurr" with its volunteer crew of three, launched on service following reports of an elderly woman who had fallen on the cliff path.

The woman had telephoned Milford Haven coastguards informing them that she had suffered a head injury while walking between St Justinians and Porthlisky bay along the coastal path. The coastguards had lost contact with the casualty, so the lifeboat was tasked to carry out a shoreline search from the lifeboat station at St Justinians towards Porthlisky.

When the lifeboat reached a point near the old copper mine they were alerted by members of the pubilc to the womans location. Helmsman Nicholas Phillips then steered the lifeboat to the shoreline where crew members William Chant and Harry Ledwith went ashore together with a first aid kit and oxygen.

Oon reaching the casualty the crewmen commenced first aid treatment and continued until the arrival of St Davids coastguard team, also dispatched to the incident were Fishguard coastguards, Preseli sector coastguard officer, together with air and land ambulances. After treatment she was conveyed to Withybush Hospital by land ambulance, with all units at this time stood down.

The lifeboat returned to station rehousing at 1.32pm.

7th January 2012 - ALB

On Saturday 7 January at 11.40am, St Davids RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched on service to the aid of a 33ft fishing vessel Lynn Catherine. The casualty vessel, with two people on board, had suffered a fouled propeller in Porthlysky bay. Another fishing vessel was on scene and stood by until the arrival of the lifeboat. Also dispatched to a cliff top vantage point was St Davids coastguard team.

The lifeboat arrived on scene within ten minutes and secured a line to the casualty and took it under tow back to St Justinian where it was secured to the lifeboat’s emergency moorings. The lifeboat returned to station, rehousing at 12.35pm.