Crowds gathered at the seafront to watch as Sidmouth Lifeboat practiced drills with Portland Coastguard on Sunday.
Every few weeks, the rescue teams join forces to practise transferring casualties from the lifeboat to the helicopter, and the noise drew an audience.
Sidmouth Lifeboat senior coxswain Phil Shepperd said the best conditions for the exercise are when the helicopter is flying into the wind, but the choppy sea made it difficult for the boat.
The lifeboat crew get around 25 callouts a year and they often work in tandem with the aircraft, although Portland Coastguard is due to close in 2018.
Sidmouth Lifeboat is set to be the topic of a theatre group from the University of Exeter, in play that will be performed at Kennaway House on March 20.
The photos were taken by James Woolacott and submitted to the Herald via the iWitness website, eastnorthdevon.iwitness24.co.uk.
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