A TEENAGE skipper from Neyland who was hailed a hero when he helped save his crew from a sinking fishing vessel in February has found himself caught up in another drama on the sea.

Jake Bowman-Davies, now 17, featured on the front page of the Milford Mercury last week, after receiving an award for his bravery during the sinking of the Cesca.
But while back at sea this week Jake again found himself having to hurriedly abandon ship.

Jake was among five crew plucked from a liferaft after the vessel CKS, which fishes out of Milford Haven, struck rocks off Rat Island, at the entrance to the haven waterway.

The crew issued a Mayday call at 2.02am on Wednesday to say that they had hit rocks and were taking on water and sinking rapidly.

Angle all-weather lifeboat was tasked to the incident and was on the scene within 15 minutes of the initial emergency call. 

As the lifeboat arrived, the fishing boat was in shallow water off West Angle Bay.
The rescue vessel manoeuvred alongside the fishing boat and transferred two lifeboat crew members with a salvage pump aboard the CKS. 

They attempted to save the fishing boat, however the skipper soon decided that it was unsafe and ordered his crew and the two RNLI volunteers to abandon the vessel into a liferaft.

Once the liferaft was clear of the sinking boat the all-weather lifeboat recovered the crew, and made their way back to Milford Haven. 

Speaking to the Milford Mercury, boat owner Tim Bowman-Davies, from Neyland, said it was too early to say what had caused the incident.

Mr Bowman-Davies, said he was thankful that none of the men was injured, but said he was still coming to terms with the loss of the vessel, which was only purchased earlier this year.

Attempts to salvage the CKS were made on Wednesday afternoon, but these were unsuccessful due to the turning tide.

“I guess we’ll just have to what is left in the morning,” said Mr Bowman-Davies.

None of the fishermen required hospital attention; they were handed over to St Govans coastguards at Milford Haven.