Lifeboat crews were called to the rescue of a man stuck on a boat in the Bristol Channel with a suspected broken leg.
Portishead RNLI was paged at 2.40 pm on Saturday to reports of a man on a small RIB just off Denny Island.
Coastguard crews were also scrambled.
Lifeboat crews arrived on scene to find three other vessels with their anchors down, creating a rope hazard in the water.
Despite this, a crew member managed to get onto the rib with the casualty.
It is not known how the man had injured himself on the boat.
Due to the fast incoming tide, the coastguard helicopter was also called and landed on the Royal Beach.
People on the beach soaking up the sun as temperatures reached into the high twenties were moved on to facilitate the landing.
Crews took the man back to the shore line here he was given first aid before being transferred to the helicopter.
The man was taken to hospital for treatment.
A spokesman for Portishead RNLI said: “On a rapidly outgoing tide, the crew had to work fast to ensure that they were not going to run aground on the sandbanks.
“The RNLI and helicopter crew decided that the best thing to do would be to return the casualty to land by boat where he could be transferred to the waiting helicopter.
“With precision flying the HM Coastguard helicopter landed on the Royal Beach to meet the lifeboat crew and the casualty.
“More first aid was administered and the man was safely carried to the helicopter who then took him to hospital.”
"Thank you to all the members of the public who were asked to move so that the helicopter could land.
“Thank you for keeping a safe distance and respecting the safety of all our crews.”
