Yacht on bar THE AUXILIARY COASTGUARD On Watch at Penrhyn on Tuesday April 17 saw, at 1155, a small yacht under outboard engine with her mainsail up making for the River Teifi. It was a fine day with a clear sky and the sea in the bay was calm with a long ground swell. However, the wind, although only light, was from north west, the spring tide had just started to ebb and on the bar the sea was rough with breaking waves about eight to ten feet high. An extract from Teifi Boating Club book notes: 'Cardigan Bar may become dangerous in west to north-west winds. It may also break when ground swell is present. This usually happens on the ebb tide about one hour after high water. The bigger the tide, the greater the risk. It may happen on a fine day with little or no wind.' At 1200 the auxiliary coastguard telephoned the deputy launching authority of Cardigan ILB station, who lives by the beach at Poppit Sands, and it was agreed that the inshore lifeboat should launch. By this time the yacht had entered the rough water, broached, her outboard had been flooded and she had anchored. Her mainsail was still up.

The ILB launched at 1212, mannedby Helmsman Vernon Evans and Crew Member Robert Reynolds, and made for the yacht at full speed until reaching the rough water on the bar. She found that the yacht, Snow Wych, her bow pointing out to sea and her mainsail up, was being carried seaward by the ebb until the breaking seas forced her back on to her anchor, so that she was surging and yawing violently with no regular pattern.

Helmsman Evans circled the casualty noting the rough seas and the wildly yawing boat. He waited for a time when the sea was relatively quiet and then made his approach, driving the ILB in against the yacht's port side and holding her there while Crew Member Reynolds took the two younger members of her crew on board; they were landed safely at Poppit Sands.

The ILB was then taken back into the rough water and once again she circled the yacht awaiting the relatively quiet period when she could drive in alongside her port side. As the yacht yawed she was rolling and pitching so heavily that from the shore her keel was seen clear of the water. The ILB took off the two remaining men but, as she cleared the casualty, the yacht yawed again violently and the ILB propeller cut the yacht's anchor rope.

After landing the two men at Poppit Sands, the ILB launched again and went into the bay to recover the yacht, which had now drifted out to sea clear of the bar. She was taken in tow and secured at Cei Bach, the site of the old lifeboat house.

The ILB returned to station at 1310 and was rehoused and ready for service at 1320. The local police inspector, the auxiliary coastguard and the many people who had watched the rescue from the cliffs were most impressed with the skill with which the situation had been assessed, the excellence of the boathandling and the courage of the crew.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Helmsman Vernon Evans and a vellum service certificate was presented to Crew Member Robert Reynolds..