Casualty pulled from water after yacht destroyed by fire

The Haydn Miller was quickly on the water and as the volunteer crew rounded St Margaret’s Island, they spotted smoke on the horizon, some 12 miles south.

On reaching the scene, they found a 35ft yacht which had been almost totally destroyed by fire and the occupant of the yacht in the water, barely afloat and disappearing under the surface.

A crew member immediately entered the water to keep the casualty afloat, whilst the remaining crew readied to bring him aboard. Once onboard, casualty care was administered, while the lifeboat made best speed to the harbour at Tenby, where multiple Welsh Ambulance resources were waiting.

With the casualty unable to confirm if he was alone on the yacht or not, the lifeboat headed back to the scene to commence a search, where they were also joined by Angle all-weather lifeboat and Coastguard rescue helicopters from St Athan and Newquay in Cornwall.

Having thoroughly searched area for several hours in choppy seas and heavy rain and with nobody else reported missing, the search was brought to an end and all assets stood down.

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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