Tenby's lifeboats had a busy Friday, launching to two shouts; a medical evacuation and a lengthy search for a missing man.

Tenby's all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 3.30pm yesterday, Friday June 18, following a report that a tourist had fallen on the Caldey Island, suffering several injuries.

The boat was quickly on the water, with members of Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team aboard to assist.

Once at the island, the coastguard team, along with several lifeboat crew assessed the casualty, who had suffered head and arm injuries.

It was decided that the safest way of getting him to hospital would be by air, so Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 187 was tasked to assist for the second time in the day.

The helicopter was soon overhead, and the lifeboat crew assisted in stabilising the casualty and transporting him to the landing site at the lighthouse, before he was loaded onto the aircraft for the flight to hospital. Once the helicopter was in the air, the lifeboat crew and coastguard headed back to Tenby, arriving at 5.15pm.

Earlier yesterday both lifeboats were launched to search for a person missing from a dinghy.

The report came in at around 9am from a fisherman on rocks near Manorbier, stating he'd lost sight of a person who had been rowing a dinghy toward shore, and that the occupant may be in the water.

Both boats made best speed to the area, along with HM Coastguard Tenby.

The inshore searched the shoreline, rocks and caves between Giltar and Manorbier, while the all all-weather lifeboat searched offshore.

Once at Manorbier, the dinghy, which had been picked up by one of the MoD Range Safety vessels, was handed over to the inshore lifeboat crew, who then brought it into the awaiting police at Manorbier Beach.

The search was soon joined by Angle lifeboat, along with Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 187 from St Athans and St Govan's Coastguard Rescue Team.

After several hours searching, a man approached police at Manorbier, stating he'd been on the vessel off Manorbier, had got into difficulty and ended up in the water.

With the casualty now safely ashore, all units were stood down. Tenby's lifeboats returned to station, arriving at 12.45pm.

While taking part in the search, the inshore lifeboat was diverted to the local passenger vessel James Noel, which had picked up a swimmer that had been caught in a rip off Giltar. The crew checked the swimmer over and he confirmed he was happy to return to Tenby on board the James Noel. The lifeboat then returned to the search.

Two shouts for Tenby's lifeboats

Tenby's lifeboats launched twice on Thursday 17th June.

The first shout came for the inshore lifeboat shortly before 5.30pm, after a report that a speedboat was seen drifting off Monkstone Point. The volunteer crew were quickly on the water and located the vessel with nobody aboard. After some local investigations, it was discovered that the vessel had drifted away from Wiseman's Bridge and that nobody had been aboard.

The vessel was brought back to it's owners at Wiseman's Bridge, before the lifeboat returned to Tenby - arriving at 6.10pm.

The next shout came for the all-weather lifeboat at 11.40pm after a report that several people were lost, possibly cut off by the tide at Monkstone. The lifeboat was soon on the water and made best speed to Monkstone and began to search the beach using floodlights, night vision goggles, thermal imaging camera and the Y-boat, whilst Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team and Police searched from the shore.

The inshore lifeboat was soon tasked to join the search, as were St Govans and Llansteffan Coastguard Rescue Teams. As the lifeboats were searching between Monkstone and Waterwynch, the casualties were spotted amongst rocks and the inshore lifeboat went in to retrieve them. They were then taken aboard the all-weather lifeboat, where they were checked over for any injuries, before being taken back to Tenby Harbour, where they were met by Police. The lifeboats then returned to station, arriving at 1.33am.