The RNLI's all-weather lifeboats from Angle and St. Davids were launched on Saturday afternoon after a passenger vessel carrying 48 people got into difficulties off Pembrokeshire.

The Lady Helen was taking people out to Skomer, a popular wildlife sanctuary, when it is thought to have hit rocks. It was making its way back to nearby Martin's Haven when it started taking in water and the crew put out a Mayday alert at 12.55 pm.

While the RNLI lifeboats launched, a number of nearby vessels went to the Lady Helen's help, safely evacuating all the passengers. One of the vessels managed to tow the Lady Helen towards the beach and then the RNLI lifeboat crews used their salvage pumps to stabilise the vessel.

St. Davids RNLI coxswain, Dai John, said the rescue was a great team effort, with private boat owners, a police boat, Coastguard Rescue teams from Dale and Broad Haven and a helicopter from RAF Chivenor all responding to the call for help.

He added: "The Lady Helen will have made that trip hundreds if not thousands of times without a problem. The consequences of this incident could have been far more serious and it is fortunate that the situation was resolved without any one being hurt. Both the volunteer RNLI lifeboat crews from St. Davids and Angle worked well to stabilise the vessel, but we are thankful that there were a number of vessels on scene who could evacuate the passengers so quickly."

FOOTNOTE: While Angle's Tamar class all weather lifeboat Mark Mason was standing by at Martins Haven, while the Lady Helen was being pumped out by Angle and St. Davids RNLI volunteers, she was diverted - at the request of Milford Haven Coastguards - to rescue two dogs trapped in a cove near Angle and only accessible by sea. On arrival at the scene, the lifeboat crew launched the Tamar's Y-boat and recovered the two dogs, which were taken to nearby West Angle Bay and landed safely.

The Tamar then returned to Martins Haven.

OUR RESCUE FROM A SINKING BOAT

Among the passengers on the stricken passenger vessel Lady Helen which started sinking off Skomer last weekend was Marie Moreton, of Paterchurch Court, Front Street, Pembroke Dock. Here, with accompanying pictures, Marie tells her own story of the dramatic rescue:

On Saturday, my friends and I were enjoying a boat trip around Skomer Island. Suddenly we hit a rock, the boat swayed violently from side to side, everyone was stunned into silence.

It felt like we were stuck here, with the boat swaying for ever as time stood still. I had fallen onto some anchor chains and was hanging onto something, I'm not sure what, to stop myself from sliding towards the boat's handrails that were at this point very close to the water; I thought I was going to end up in the water. I watched the crew's reactions and facial expressions and concluded that the situation was bad and I prayed. I heard one of the crew on the radio calling for help.

Eventually, different boats were arriving to take people off the boat. The first to arrive was a couple on their marine research boat, they rescued the children, and other boats took other people off. At some point I discovered we had got free of the rocks and had started to move off, but it was obvious from the boat's performance that all was not well, I thought to myself, 'We are sinking', then I think we stopped. Soon, a sea patrol police boat turned up and took the rest of us off the boat, my friend and I were the last off the boat. As we climbed out of the boat and into the police boat I could see a lot of water was coming in.

As the sea patrol police took us to safety I watched our boat, the poor Lady Helen being towed away. We then saw the RNLI guys, they and the police discussed the next rescue move, and by now people were in good spirits and were thanking our rescuers and people started taking photos as relief and calm and chatting dispelled the stunned silence from before. From the police boat we were then transferred to a boat of divers that happened to be nearby and offered to help with the rescue, these divers then took us to another boat that finally took us back to shore.

On arriving back on shore, the place was buzzing with activity as coastguards, helicopters, RNLI and the boat crew were all playing their part in this massive rescue of I'm told 48 people. I watched the RNLI guys and the boats crew pumping out all the water that the boat had taken on.

I personally would like to thank everyone who was involved in rescuing us. So, to the crew, the RNLI, the sea patrol police, the divers, the marine research couple, the coastguards, helicopters and the man who went round helping everyone with their life-jackets and to all who were praying; a big thank you and God bless you all greatly!