Tenby Lifeboat Station was the second busiest in Wales last year, it was revealed this week.
Lifeboats in Wales launched 1,239 times in 2006, compared with 1,154 launches in 2005, with RNLI crews rescuing an average of four people every single day in 2006. Tenby was the second busiest lifeboat station in Wales, with a total of 84 launches in 2006, a relatively small seven per cent increase on the 2005 statistics. However, the number of people rescued rose by 26 per cent to 77 casualties in 2006. The busiest station in Wales was Rhyl with 115 launches in 2006, a small increase on the previous year. Of all the 31 RNLI lifeboat stations in Wales, 23 saw a dramatic increase in emergency call-outs. The volunteer crew at Angle, who are currently fund-raising to raise £1m towards a new Tamar class lifeboat, also saw a 15 per cent increase in launches, with 40 call-outs in 2006. Cardigan saw a very large rise in the number of people rescued, the volunteer crew brining 47 people safely ashore last year, a massive 68 per cent increase on the 2005 figures. Fishguard was named the seventh busiest station in Wales with a total of 45 launches, followed by St. Davids with 36 launches and Little and Broad Haven with 22 launches. The greatest number of launches was to power pleasure craft, which represented nearly 300 of all the coastal emergencies. Mechanical failure was the biggest reason for people getting into difficulty at sea, followed by vessels getting into trouble in adverse weather conditions. RNLI volunteers never know what they will face when the call for help comes, which is why the charity provides the very best training to ensure crew are fully equipped to deal with a variety of situations. That training comes at a cost, which is why the RNLI has launched a national campaign, 'Train one, save many', to raise the £10m required to train its volunteer crews over five years.
Andy Clift, RNLI divisional inspector for the west, said: "The latest statistics once again show that coastal emergencies are on the increase, which puts more pressure than ever on our volunteer crews who are prepared to drop everything and respond to a variety of situations at a moment's notice. "Our crews would not be able to respond to this increase in demand without the support of the public who continue to give so generously to enable our volunteers to continue saving lives at sea. "It is interesting to note that the greatest cause of call-outs has been to pleasure craft, which shows more people than ever are using the sea for leisure purposes. It is so vitally important that people take heed of our safety advice to ensure they are well equipped to help themselves should they get into difficulty." The RNLI's top safety tips are: • Wear a lifejacket • Tell someone where you are going • Check your engine and fuel • Carry some means of calling for help • Check weather and tides Mr. Clift added: "When analysing the types of incidents the RNLI dealt with last year, it is not surprising that most call-outs were for the inshore lifeboat, which responded to 67 per cent of incidents in Wales.
"The RNLI has to accurately plan its lifeboat resources well into the future and has to look at a number of factors such as the changes in patterns of sea use and changes in technology in order to use public donations as effectively as possible."