National Coastwatch Institution

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The National Coastwatch Institution's Logo

The National Coastwatch Institution ^[1]is a voluntary organisation and registered charity providing a visual watch along the UK's coasts, not to be confused with HM Coastguard.

Coastwatch station at Felixstowe in a Martello Tower

1 History
2 Work
3 Coastwatch Stations
4 External links
5 References

[edit] History

The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) was founded in Cornwall in 1994 following the tragic deaths of two local fishermen who drowned right below a recently closed Coastguard Station at Bass Point. Most of HM Coastguard visual watch stations were closed following a period of rationalization and modernization . The Institution, registered Charity number 1045645, originated from a campaign to re-establish a visual coastal watch in Cornwall. The first NCI Coastwatch station was thus established at Bass Point, near Lizard, Cornwall by the November 1994.

Following the successful launch of NCI Bass Point, other Stations quickly followed in Devon, Cornwall, East Anglia, Somerset, Sussex, Essex, Dorset, the Tyne / Tees area and South Wales. As of January 2008, there are 38 stations operational around the coast with some 1600 plus volunteers. The Institution is currently developing on a further ten stations.

The Institution has a joint Memorandum of Understandings with the Maritime Coastguard Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and more recently the Home Office UK Border Agency, and these three documents are guides to NCI’s role and provide the basis for the working relationship the Institution enjoys with all these Departments. Many NCI Stations have acquired, or are working towards acquiring, Declared Facility Status, giving NCI a very important role to play when needed within the UK’s Search & Rescue Organisation.

[edit] Work

As of 2008, the NCI's 1,600 plus volunteer Watchkeepers maintain a visual watch along part of the UK coastline with 38 established watch stations. These stations provide a daily visual watch in all weathers, monitoring marine radio channels, sea conditions, weather and using radar and providing a listening watch in poor visibility. All emergencies are reported to the appropriate authorities for action, the majority of NCI work being working mainly with HM Coastguard and other statutory authorities. Most NCI stations are manned on a daily basis providing a regular daily watch from 08.00 hrs to dusk. Last year (2007) a total of 312,350 man-hours watch was performed by NCI Watchkeepers, recording over 232,961 commercial, military and leisure vessel movements, and reporting a total of 498 incidents to HM Coastguard, Fire, Police and Ambulance services, of which 41 were NCI-initiated Lifeboat rescues.

All volunteers are provided with training in visual observation techniques, marine chart-work, Ordnance survey (r) mapping, critical reporting, Marine radio procedures, and radar, ensuring all volunteers reach the standards expected by the MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency).

The NCI works with HM Coastguard, the MCA, the RNLI and the other emergency services. In 2007, the 498 incidents reported by NCI to the MCA ended with a call-out of the RNLI lifeboats, RAF Air Sea Rescue, MOD Ordnance units, Fire, Ambulance and other rescue agencies. These incidents included vessels sinking, vessels on fire, vessels in danger and distress, swimmers in difficulties, inflatable toys with children on board being blown out to sea, persons fallen over cliffs, persons washed off jetty, land fires, dangerous munitions washed up, personal injuries, and many more.

In addition, many hundreds of minor incidents were dealt with including informing the Coastguard and Police of lost,found and missing children, distressed marine wildlife, seals, ordnance on beaches, chemical drums,large carcasses and dangerous debris washed up.

This list is endless and the National Coastwatch Volunteers are trained to expect and deal with the unexpected