A WITNESS who saw a capsized boat in Gwbert harbour belonging to a 90-year-old man who later died did not raise the alarm as capsizing was a “usual occurrence”, an inquest has heard.

The inquest into the death of 90-year-old Arthur Roy Taylor, known as Archie to family and friends, was held in Aberystwyth on Wednesday.

The inquest heard how Mr Taylor, from Rossendale in Lancashire, had taken his sailing boat out from Teifi Boat Club on the morning of Saturday, 15 April.

A “fit and healthy” man and an experienced sailor, the inquest heard that Mr Taylor’s boat was seen capsized in the estuary by Peter Meriweather, whose house overlooks the area.

His body was discovered washed up on a beach near Llangrannog two weeks later.

Mr Meriweather told the inquest that the boat was capsized “about 400 or 500 yards off shore”.

Describing the weather as “generally windy”, Mr Meriweather said he saw the occupant of the boat, whom he did not recognise, get back to the side of the boat and grab on to the main sail boom, but he did not inform authorities.

“Capsizing is not an unusual occurrence and I went off to do something else,” he told the inquest.

“What normally happens is they would right themselves afterwards, it wasn’t a major event.

“The next time I looked, a couple of hours later, there was nothing there.

“I didn’t appreciate there was an emergency until later that evening.

“I saw the boat being pulled in and made the connection and contacted police.”

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