ON Saturday, August 22, at 4.29pm, the crew of Angle Lifeboat RNLI were tasked in response to an 11 metre motor vessel with 12 people onboard taking on water 16 nautical miles SSE off St Govan’s Head.

They were tasked alongside Tenby Lifeboats RNLI who were afloat on exercise at the time, Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R387 and multiple vessels of opportunity.

Angle Lifeboat arrived shortly after Tenby Lifeboat who were now escorting the vessel. Once on scene, the crew found that most of the people had now been transferred onto another vessel and the water ingress was now manageable.

With this, Tenby Lifeboat and the Coastguard Helicopter were stood down and a plan was made for Angle Lifeboat to escort the vessel back towards Milford Haven with the salvage pump ready should it be required.

With the vessel now operating on one engine, both boats made slow progress towards Milford Haven. The vessel’s skipper had managed to arrange an emergency boat lift at Dale Sailing in Neyland.

Just over two hours into the escort, whilst in the east channel off Sheep Island, the skipper of the casualty vessel was taken unwell due to the inhalation of fumes from the vessel’s engine bay. Casualty care crew members and medical equipment were transferred onto the vessel and an ambulance was requested to meet the crew at Neyland Marina.

With the skipper receiving medical attention and unable to helm the vessel, the vessel was towed for the remainder of the journey.

Upon arrival off Neyland Marina, the tow was dropped, the vessel was placed into an alongside tow, taken into the marina and secured alongside the pontoon ready for lifting. The skipper was handed over into the care of paramedics.

The lifeboat was back alongside her berth and ready for further service by 10.30pm.