THE RNLI has been quick to refute speculation that the down-grading of the New Quay all-weather lifeboat would have placed a stricken yacht in more serious trouble and will have safety implications in the future.

New Quay’s all-weather lifeboat was earlier this month called out to a yacht in distress 25 miles north west of New Quay, which had lost its ability to steer in very rough seas due to mechanical problems with the rudder.

A member of the yacht’s four-man crew said they were in real difficulty and in thanking his rescuers, questioned why the RNLI was replacing the all-weather boat with an Atlantic inshore craft.

The crewman said: "Basically when they got to us we were hanging on and all but ready to go over and under. If we had to wait longer for a lifeboat from another station they would have been coming to recover bodies and a wreck.

“These guys are heroes and this boat is essential. If this boat goes, you will be putting more pressure and stress on the boats further up and down the coast. Don't let people lose their lives to make you see that this boat is vital

The RNLI is planning to replace the all-weather boat at New Quay with an Atlantic 85 inshore vessel next year following a coastal review. That decision is being contested by campaigners from Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign.

A statement from the RNLI said: “On this occasion, the Coastguard made the decision to launch New Quay’s all-weather lifeboat and the yacht and its crew were brought back safely into New Quay.

“The way the volunteer crew handled this incident is testament to their skill and commitment. Should there have been concern about loss of life, it would have taken the search and rescue helicopters from Caernarfon, once airborne, 16 minutes to reach the position of the yacht and 34 minutes for a helicopter from St Athan.

“The RNLI is aware of speculation of how this call out would be managed in the future and want to reassure the public that we firmly believe that call-outs such as this will be handled effectively.

“We would like to stress that no changes will happen at New Quay until Pwllheli’s 25 knot Shannon-class lifeboat is operational. Once Pwllheli’s Shannon is operational, this yacht would have been reached in a quicker time that the current Mersey-class at New Quay reached the casualty.

“This will be complemented by Barmouth’s Shannon-class lifeboat which has recently replaced the 17 knot Mersey-class lifeboat. In addition to this, a 25-knot Trent class lifeboat is positioned at Fishguard.

“By strategically placing assets around the Ceredigion coast, we are able to provide a comprehensive search and rescue service. Faster, more technologically advanced lifeboats mean the RNLI is able to reach casualties quicker than ever before.

“Our detailed analysis shows the majority of people requiring our help around New Quay are coastal water users and coastal walkers. The average distance to a casualty is 3.1 nautical miles, which indicates a fast response is required.

“We want to offer assurance to the community that incidents such as this will still be successfully dealt with in 2020 when the crew at New Quay receive their Atlantic 85 lifeboat. The Atlantic 85 is twice as fast as the current Mersey class and better suited to the type of rescues New Quay is called to.

“The RNLI is continuing to monitor activity in Cardigan Bay, as we do in all areas of the UK and Ireland. Should the risk profile change significantly, we would of course revisit our strategy for Cardigan Bay as previously stated."