CADETS from across West Wales have returned from the South West Area Sea Cadets Sail and Windsurf Regatta with an impressive collection of medals and team honours.

Strong performances across both sailing and windsurfing helped West Wales District finish third overall in the combined competition.

In the sailing events, Leading Cadet Jack, of Tenby Sea Cadets, secured third place in the Open Pico class.

Ordinary Cadet Sadie, of Port Talbot Sea Cadets, finished seventh in the Open RS Zest, while Cadet First Class Charis, of Tenby, placed 13th. Their combined results helped West Wales achieve sixth place overall in the Zest competition.

Milford Haven cadets also enjoyed success in the Junior RS Quest, with Cadet First Class Dylan and Ordinary Cadet Naomi taking second place. West Wales went on to finish third overall in the Junior RS Quest category.

In the Open RS Quest, Able Cadet Wilfred and Leading Cadet Reilly, of Swansea Sea Cadets, secured third place, contributing to a sixth-place overall finish in the class.

West Wales District finished fourth in the overall sailing competition.

The district produced even stronger results in the windsurfing events.

Cadet Harley, of Fishguard Sea Cadets, finished second in the up to 4.5-metre category, while Cadet Konrad, of Neath and District Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets, placed fourth. Their performances earned West Wales the overall title in the class.

In the up to 5.8-metre event, Able Cadet Noah, of Fishguard, finished second, with fellow Fishguard cadet Able Cadet Jakob taking fourth place. West Wales again secured the overall class victory.

Able Cadet Ryan, of Milford Haven, claimed first place in the up to 6.8-metre competition, helping the district take its third windsurfing class title.

The combined results saw West Wales District crowned overall winners of the windsurfing competition.

A strong team effort across every event ultimately secured third place for West Wales in the overall Sail and Windsurf Regatta standings.

West Wales District Sea Cadets congratulated all those who competed, describing the results as a fantastic achievement for the cadets and their units.

TRIBUTES have been paid to Gareth Griffiths, who worked for one of Pembrokeshire’s largest and best-known haulage firms for more than three decades.

Mansel Davies Group announced that its former employee sadly passed away on Monday, July 13.

During more than 30 years with the company, Gareth carried out a variety of roles, including tipper driving and vehicle recovery work.

The company shared a photograph of Gareth standing beside one of its distinctive Volvo lorries and paid tribute to his many years of dedicated service.

Gareth will be laid to rest at Hermon Chapel at 11:00am on Saturday, August 1.

The thoughts of his former colleagues are with Gareth’s family and friends.

Cysga’n dawel, Gareth.

A MAYDAY call sparked a major nighttime rescue after an 84-year-old man fell from a tender and was swept towards rocks near St Catherine’s Island in Tenby.

Both Tenby RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch shortly before 10.30pm on Friday, July 17, after the Coastguard received a distress call from a yacht anchored in North Bay.

The yacht’s crew reported seeing an elderly man who appeared to be in difficulty while attempting to return to his vessel in a small tender after spending time ashore in Tenby.

The all-weather lifeboat began searching between St Catherine’s Island and the North Highcliffe buoy, while the inshore lifeboat searched the waters beneath the Esplanade.

During the operation, the inshore lifeboat crew fired a white parachute flare to illuminate the area. The improved visibility allowed them to spot the tender, but when they reached it, they discovered it was empty.

The crew could then hear cries for help coming from the water.

A member of the public, Josh Dean, had rushed to the lifeboat station after seeing the tender being carried by the current into the cave beneath St Catherine’s Island.

Using the information he provided, the lifeboat crews quickly located the man clinging to rocks at the island after he had fallen overboard in the strong current.

He was immediately taken aboard the lifeboat, warmed up and assessed for any urgent medical problems before being taken into Tenby Harbour.

The casualty was handed into the care of the Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team while an ambulance was requested. Due to high demand on the Welsh Ambulance Service, he was later taken into the lifeboat station to wait in warmth and safety.

Tenby RNLI said the information provided by Josh had saved valuable time during the search and helped crews locate the casualty more quickly.

A spokesperson said: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Josh Dean, who came to the lifeboat station to report seeing the casualty being carried by the current into the cave beneath St Catherine’s.

“The information Josh provided was invaluable. It undoubtedly saved valuable time during the search, helping our crews locate the casualty more quickly and ultimately contributing to saving his life.”