Weather deteriorated ON THE EVENING of Wednesday, September 8, 1976, the yacht Up Spirits anchored in New Quay Bay. Her owner and one member of the crew remained on board while the other slept ashore.

During the night the weather deteriorated and on the morning of September 9 the wind was north east by north gale force 8, sea state 5, with the ebb across the wind. The sky was overcast and driving rain, at times, reduced visibility to poor.

The Coastguard, who described conditions in the bay as the worst that he had seen during his eight years at the station, went to the house of New Quay lifeboat station honorary secretary at 1050 and told him that Up Spirits was rolling and pitching heavily with no shelter at her anchorage. The honorary secretary went to the beach and decided to launch the D class ILB, choosing her rather than the lifeboat because he thought her more suitable to work in the shallow water on a lee shore.

The crew were already assembled at the boathouse and the ILB was launched at 1100 with four men in the crew to give additional weight. Mervyn Thomas, the most experienced ILB helmsman at the station, was in command, with Winston Evans, Richard Davies and Morlais Davies as crew.

On a north-easterly course, the ILB made her way slowly through the rough sea to Up Spirits, and advised her crewto beach her in a sheltered part of the harbour. Instead, while the ILB stood by to give help, they started up the engine and weighed anchor intending to pick up a mooring in the harbour. This they tried to do, but without success, by anchoring up wind of the mooring and allowing themselves to be blown down on to the mooring.

At about 1200 the crew of the yacht indicated that their anchor was dragging and that they were abandoning Up Spirits. As she was rolling heavily, her mast frequently lying flat on the sea, it was too dangerous to attempt an alongside rescue. Mervyn Thomas therefore told the two men to jump into the sea one at a time while he waited astern of the yacht to pick them up.

The ILB returned to station, landed the two men, and was rehoused and ready for service at 1300.

Up Spirits was blown on to the beach at 1300, and was eventually recovered and taken to Pembroke for repair. Her owner subsequently made a donation to the Institution through New Quay's honorary secretary.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Helmsman Mervyn L.

Thomas. Vellum service certificates have been presented to Coxswain David Winston Evans and Crew Members Richard L. Davies and Morlais H.

Davies..