Practical_Boat_Owner_-_November_2015_

OSwanage

Worthwhile

watchkeeping

Volunteer watchkeeper David Cornes

describes the aims and duties of the National

Coastwatch Institution – and encourages

interested parties to get involved

Coastal safety

O

ne thing I missed after
coming ashore as a
navigating offi cer was
watchkeeping. Not that I
didn’t welcome my relief
at the end of the watch,
and there were of course times when it was
pitch black and nothing was happening; but
I still missed the process of watchkeeping.
It is no surprise therefore that I fi nd
myself, 50-plus years later, as a volunteer
watchkeeper at the Swanage lookout of the
National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) at
Peveril Point. The 270° panoramic view

from the lookout would cost a fortune for a

developer, assuming permission would ever

be given to build there. To the west is

Swanage Pier and the end of the RNLI

Swanage All Weather Lifeboat slipway; Old

Harry Rocks lie to the north; Peveril Ledge

Buoy lies to the east; and Durlston Point

and Castle lie to the south.

The NCI was formed in 1994 when the

government decided to close all coastguard

stations carrying out a visual watch on

coastal waters. The argument presented to

justify this closure was that all vessels carried

radio and could contact the appropriate

Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination

Centre (MRCC) directly in the event of any

incident. This always seemed dubious: the

vast majority of the dinghies and kayaks

and many of the small cruisers, speedboats

and personal water craft that take to our

seas do not carry radios, and are by far the

most likely to require assistance – not to

mention the anglers, ramblers, dog walkers

and rock climbers who enjoy our shores.

Also, mobile phones, although potentially

very useful, cannot be relied upon to fi nd

a signal along the coast. These misgivings

soon proved to be well founded when

two fi shermen from Cadgwith

drowned after their boat was lost

within sight of the now unmanned

coastguard station at Bass Point on

the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.

A group of locals decided this

was unacceptable, and pledged to

re-establish a visual watch on a voluntary

basis. They inspired the formation of the

NCI, and still proudly claim to be the fi rst

NCI station. Our own NCI Swanage station

was founded not long after, in April 1995.

At present there are around 50 NCI

stations, currently all in England and

Wales. All watchkeepers are volunteers,

receiving no expenses and providing their

own uniforms. Most stations are open

between 0900-1600 in the winter and 0900-

1800 in the summer, seven days a week,

generally with two certifi ed watchkeepers

on duty for about four hours each. Some

watchkeepers have a professional seafaring

background, but all watchkeepers receive

appropriate training.

Many stations have been taken over from

redundant coastguard buildings, but some

have been purpose-built by the volunteers.

At Peveril Point, volunteers erected a

lookout on top of a wartime blockhouse,

with the support of local donors and

businesses. All the stations’ running

expenses are not insignifi cant, so

fundraising is ongoing. As a national

organisation there are also some central

expenses, but these are kept to a minimum.

The NCI lookout at Peveril Point, Swanage is

built on top of a concrete wartime blockhouse

O

Anvil Point

OPeveril

Point

ODurlston

Head

O Tilly Whim Caves

Durlston

Country

Park