The crew of St Davids RNLI lifeboat were delighted to receive a letter of thanks for the rescue of four sea kayakers.

At 12.28pm on Saturday, May 3, 2025, St Davids’ all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch by HM Coastguard following reports from a member of the public, and a call for help from one of the kayakers in trouble.

The charity’s lifeboat Norah Wortley made best speed and once on scene discovered that two people were in the water, one in a partially sunken kayak and one within a kayak holding onto a sinking kayak.

With the strong wind forcing the kayakers towards cliffs, the coxswain manoeuvred the lifeboat to keep away from the rocks whilst the volunteer crew assisted all four casualties onto the lifeboat.

The kayakers were immediately assessed, with the possibility of secondary drowning a risk as two had ingested water whilst struggling in the swell. A Coastguard helicopter was stood down as station medic Dr Roger Schofield provided effective care. Once back at station, the assessment continued before volunteers were confident that the casualties were safe to leave.

Ewa Crabtree, RNLI Area 4 Operations Manager, wrote in the letter addressed directly to the crew: ‘This was a time-critical shout involving casualties in serious and immediate danger. You made a series of rapid, well-judged decisions and undertook highly skilled manoeuvring to recover the casualties from an extremely precarious position, including one kayaker who was dangerously close to the cliff face.’

‘Working effectively as a team, you recovered all casualties safely onto the deck and provided essential medical care while awaiting the helicopter. Due to your prompt and professional casualty management, their condition improved significantly, and no further medical intervention from the helicopter crew was required. There is no doubt that your swift actions, excellent boat handling, teamwork, and high standard of casualty care directly contributed to the saving of lives that day.’

Judd Kohler, RNLI St Davids Deputy Coxswain, said: “Sincere thanks to the crew for their swift and decisive response — a great example of teamwork under pressure.

“Thanks to the Coastguard for coordination throughout. Congratulations to Tom Rees on his first shout, and well done to the whole crew for the professionalism, commitment, and dedication they show every time it matters.”