Sixteen stand up paddle boarders in danger of being blown out into the Irish Sea have been rescued by the RNLI.
The visiting group had paddled out from Porthclais Harbour but got into difficulty off the southwest corner of Ramsey Island.
Although the conditions were calm within the shelter of the bay, the strong offshore wind was taking the SUP boards out to sea.
Another half an hour and the group would likely have been in serious difficulty.
A local vessel, the Thousand Islands Adventure boat the Gower Ranger had spotted the paddleboarders in trouble and had alerted Milford Haven Coastguard at 3.15pm on Saturday, July 9.
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Luckily for the paddle boarders, an off duty volunteer lifeboat crew member was in the area on his boat and successfully assisted the party into a sheltered part of Ramsey Island, waiting with them until the lifeboat arrived.
This was new coxswain Will Chant’s first shout at the helm since taking on the role just two days before on, July 7.
Once on scene, the crew took all 16 casualties and equipment onboard before returning them to Porthclais harbour where they were assisted by St Davids Coastguard Rescue Team.
Fortunately, all sixteen casualties were unharmed and in good spirits.
“We would urge all SUP boarders to check local weather conditions and tides before setting off to sea, wear a suitable personal flotation device and ensure you have a means of calling for help,” said a spokerperson for St Davids Lifeboat.
“We thank the crew of the Gower Ranger and our off-duty crew member Martin Charlton for his assistance.”
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