Incident Summary 2022

Watchkeepers at NCI Gosport logged more than 30 incidents in 2022. An incident is any event that NCI participated in and for which the Coastguard or other authorities issued an incident number. The following notes are from our logs….

Pan Pan from sail training ship with steering loss, 16 POB. Casualty proceeded to anchorage under power, emergency steering working. When wind abated, casualty proceeded to home port, Pan Pan cancelled.

Pan Pan from broken down yacht at harbour entrance. 4 POB. Motor vessel standing by. NCI informed HMCG they had visual. 2 Police RIBs and harbour patrol attending. Assets stood down as anchor holding, and Sea Start on its way. Casualty towed to safety, CG informed, Pan Pan cancelled.

Yacht issued Mayday /steering failure. NCI informed HMCG had visual. HM dispatched assistance and police launch provided assistance. Mayday cancelled.

HMCG requested visual search from NCI of upturned vessel, with one person on hull. Unable to establish visual. Hovercraft investigated and reported no assistance required. NFA

NCI observed a swimmer in difficulty, clinging to pile in strong flood tide. HMCG and QHM informed. Police launch tasked, but casualty made way to beach unassisted. CG and QHM informed.

Pan Pan from yacht with engine failure. Tow requested. NCI contacted HMCG as position did not correspond, not identifiable by NCI. Second yacht undertook tow. Pan Pan cancelled. All safe.

NCI observed MOP being swept out to sea on ebb tide, trying to retrieve ball. W/K broadcast Mayday relay, HMCG informed. Casualty picked up by small craft, transferred to Police boat., Casualty taken ashore and assessed by ILB medic. No injuries.

NCI observed MOP in water, in difficulty. Harbour Patrol in area, who threw a life ring, and towed casualty to beach. Casualty walked up beach, meanwhile ILB arrived as a result of 999 call. , Casualty checked over, all okay but intoxicated.

MOP observed by NCI in harbour in distress, clinging to pile. Casualty tried to swim away but unsuccessful. Harbour patrol advised that ILB was on scene. Casualty recovered by ILB, all safe.

Pan Pan from yacht lost power and drifting. HMCG responded, NCI confirmed visual. During conversation, casualty got under way again, Pan Pan cancelled.

Vessel called on CH 16 'Emergency Aground'. No response from HMCG so NCI passed on information and position. QHM informed. ILB tasked, laid kedge anchor for vessel to refloat on rising tide. Casualty refloated on tide and proceeded on its way.

Yacht ran aground while unsure of position. NCI suggested position but did not have visual. ILB tasked. Vessel well aground and unable to refloat until next tide.

Pan Pan from yacht with engine failure. NCI had visual, HMCG informed. ILB tasked, and took casualty in tow. No apparent water ingress found, so casualty towed to harbour and safety.

Pan Pan from vessel with engine failure. NCI had visual, HMCG informed. ILB tasked, took casualty under tow to safety of harbour.

NCI received AIS SART alert, position showing as in marina. HMCG informed. Marina informed, police and marina staff searched but nothing found. Inadvertent activation assumed.

Yacht issued Pan Pan as it was aground. NCI had visual, HMCG informed. ILB tasked but Pan Pan cancelled as vessel refloated on rising tide. Returned safely to harbour.

Pan Pan from motor cruiser aground and taking on water. NCI relayed to HMCG as they had not responded. Vessel’s engine had failed. AWLB tasked, then ILB tasked. LB crewman aboard casualty. Other vessel took casualty under tow to port.

Mayday from motor vessel on fire. NCI had visual, HMCG informed. ILB attended, took crew on board. Smoke seen from vessel, which was burnt out and sank. Debris and fuel contained.

Yacht called for assistance, rope around prop. NCI called HMCG as they had casualty on AIS. AWLB tasked and was assisting vessel when station closed down.

Yacht issued Mayday due to smoke from engine compartment. NCI had visual, HMCG informed. Other vessel took casualty under tow, CG informed. Casualty towed to safety.

Mayday from vessel aground on sands. NCI confirmed visual to HMCG. Vessel unable to help, and casualty happy to wait for tide. Mayday cancelled. ILB checked - all OK. CG checked every 60 mins.

Pan Pan issued for catamaran dismasted al harbour entrance, 3 POB. NCI informed CG they had visual. NCI monitored situation as casualty taken under tow by other vessel, Police boat attended.

Yacht requested help as had engine failure. NCI informed HMCG they had visual. ILB tasked and took casualty under tow to safety of marina.

Pan Pan from unknown station - vessel taking on water. HMCG asked NCI if they had visual - negative. Pan Pan upgraded to May Day, full search with ILBx2 and HELO. Nothing further heard., After 1.5 hours, nothing found, assets stood down and search suspended.

Yacht under tow by day boat ran aground. 1 POB. Occupant called QHM, harbour patrol attended, HMCG informed. Tow attempts failed. Casualty later reboarded and towed off by RIB to safety.

Two fishermen observed by NCI potentially cut off by tide. HMCG informed. Police involved, and QHM. Station closed while fishermen still there, all authorities aware of situation. NFA

Yacht informed NCI on Ch65 it had lost power as it was entering harbour. HMCG and QHM informed. casualty made way under reefed sail. Casualty then lost wind and requested tow from CG. Two unidentified RIBs then established tow, and casualty safely towed to harbour and safety.

May Day from yacht with engine failure and fire. 4 POB. HMCG acknowledged May Day, NCI informed CG they had visual. NCI gave position, LB tasked and was conned to casualty by NCI. 2 Police launches, attended, fire reported out. Casualty towed to safety by Police launch, attended by fire engines.

NCI picked up SART alarm, and informed HMCG. Came from yacht in marina, CG to investigate. Alarm cancelled

Yacht called HMCG with loss of steerage. NCI advised CG they had visual. All vessels asked to help, NCI advised CG of yacht nearby. LB tasked, took casualty under tow to harbour.

Red inflatable package seen entering harbour. Police involved, HMCG aware. Securite notice issued. Police RIB recovered object, and towed it to shore. incident closed.

Pan Pan from vessel aground, 9 POB. NCI informed HMCG they had visual. Casualty attempted to sail/motor off sands. Ryde rescue in attendance., Vessel still hard aground when lookout closed.

Pan Pan from yacht with sail problem. NCI had visual and advised HMCG. No AIS signal seen. Vessel under engine power and still trying to clear problem. Police launch offered assistance but conditions too rough. Casualty got under way, then Pan Pan reopened as further problem developed and LB tasked to tow casualty back to harbour.

Pan an issued by vessel in harbour entrance. Crew member with back injury. NCI informed HMCG they had visual. Vessel proceeded to marina and met by CRT and ambulance.

Yacht aground on Ryde sands. AWLB and HELO tasked. NCI informed HMCG they had visual, 4 POB. Casualty refloated on tide, and escorted back to harbour by LB.

You can see that for some of these incidents we called a mayday ourselves, for others we passed on important information to the Coastguard, and for yet others we kept the incident under observation in case the situation deteriorated. 

We want to be there to help you out when you have a problem; you can help us by making a donation to keep our station open and operating. Please visit our web page here… 

https://www.nci.org.uk/stations/donations

Or text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5

Man Overboard !

NCI Watchkeepers looking out at the ‘View From The Harbour Entrance’ often see things that are, to put it carefully, less than ideal. Vessels which are not using the Small Boat Channel, are going too fast, appear to be overloaded, etc. Some of these things have been written up in this blog in the hope that eventually we will see them less often.

However, there is one thing that we see very seldom, and would actually like to see - or hear - much more often. And that’s vessels practicing man overboard drills.

You might well ask why we mention this now, during the winter, when boating activity is very much reduced as a result of the poorer weather, poorer visibility, and shorter daylight hours. Actually, it’s worth considering because of the poorer weather, visibility, and shorter daylight hours.

Poor weather, choppier seas, and more spray make for difficult movement on slippery spray-wet decks. Poor vis and less daylight makes the person in the water harder to find. And finally, the cold sea makes it much more important to get the casualty out of the water quickly, before hypothermia sets in. [We hope to publish an article about hypothermia in the New Year.]

What we cannot do in a written article is tell you exactly what to do if a passenger or crew member goes over the side; too much depends on the type of boat you are in, how many other people there are in the crew, and what equipment you have on board. Talk it over or practice it with an instructor.

There are two absolute imperatives though. 1) Immediately throw in a float, lifebuoy, Danbuoy, fender. The person overboard may be able to swim to it and use it for flotation; the float might be easier to see than a small dark head in a choppy sea; and it should mark the position of the casualty fairly well. 2) Have a crew member or passenger continuously keep their eyes on the casualty and point to him/her. This crew member should never under any circumstances look away from the casualty. This will be easier if the person overboard (and all the rest of the passengers and crew) has high-vis clothing on. If you cannot see the casualty, then keep eyes on the float you just threw in.


Remember that you will be moving away from the casualty, possibly at speed, and will keep doing so until you can turn the vessel back towards him/her, so the above two actions are vitally important. It’s also important of course that all crew should be wearing a lifejacket.

[Just an aside to those of you who are equipped with Danbuoys – a) good ! b) but don’t let the flag unfurl until you really need it. We do see yachts apparently flying a ‘man overboard’ flag while just having a normal sail… it causes some confusion].

Man overboard exercises and demonstrations often end by finding the float you flung in as a target and using a boathook to pick it up out of the water. But this is only doing half the job; in reality getting someone out of the water is far from easy. Is the casualty injured ? Is he/she unconscious ? Can you lift a 10 to 15 stone deadweight out of the water onto your boat ? Even in an RNLI or GAFIRS Inshore Rescue rib, with its low freeboard, it takes two people to lift someone on board. There are no easy answers.

There is one simple golden rule though….. if you are not in a position to attempt a rescue, or if your rescue attempt fails, do call for help. This is definitely time for a ‘Mayday’ call.

Lastly…

…please do practice man overboard recovery. If you are able to use a man-size dummy, so much the better… but it would be a good idea to let the coastguard know what you are doing. You don’t want to have someone else see what they think is a real overboard and call mayday for you.  Oh, and please do find a good place to practice; the harbour itself, the Small Boat Channel and the Swashways are not the best choices for reasons that hopefully are obvious.  Find a safe spot away from other vessels – Stokes Bay or around Osborne Bay might be best.

… looking at the topic from another perspective…. Although signal flags are not much used these days on smaller vessels, if you saw the ‘O’ flag (illustrated at the top of this article) being flown or on a Danbuoy, would you recognise its meaning ?

Life of the Senior Management Committee

It takes a lot of people to keep an NCI station running; officers of the Senior Management Committee (SMC) meet monthly to deal with issues such as maintenance, training, roster, welfare, etc. These meetings always include a representative from the Watchkeeper community. These are some comments from the Watchkeeper representative who attended our most recent meeting…

I have now represented the members twice as the monthly rep at the management committee meeting. Both times I have found really interesting. We all attend in uniform and sit around the big table at the sailing club.

The agenda is full for each of the officers to give an update from previous meetings as well as any new agenda items.

As each item is reported on, everyone is given a chance to respond or make a comment/ suggestion. I feel that everyone is listened to and all comments are heard. It gives you an insight into what goes on behind the scene in running the group and how fairly decisions are made.

I have been made welcome by the officers each time I have attended and the questions I have asked on behalf of members have been taken forward to be actioned. I thoroughly enjoy being the rep and will be happy to stand again.

Mayday Relay!

 

A dramatic event made the headlines during the summer as can be seen from the newspaper extract above. Watchkeepers Janet and Mike were on duty that evening in the NCI Lookout tower at Fort Blockhouse; the following is Janet’s account of what happened……


"Back in the summer I was on watch with Mike for the evening. The tide had just turned and being ‘springs’ it was rushing out of the harbour.

Things were quietening down from a busy day with swimmers, jumpers and large groups of youths on the beach. When we saw a group that had been playing with an inflatable ball at the waters edge watching the ball floating out with the tide. One of the youths started to swim after it. We realised he was not going to be able to catch it up and decided it looked as though he was going to get into difficulties.

We initiated a mayday relay to the coastguard on Channel 16. After the initial call it was a case of following the instructions given by the coastguard and answering their questions. It was reassuring that local vessels were following a dual watch and also heard the initial call and offered to help. The ball was long gone out of sight and the lad was picked up at no 3 Bar Buoy (thus showing how far and how quickly he had been taken by the tide) by a fishing vessel and transferred to the police launch to be brought into safety at the camber.

The Isle of Wight car ferry had also stopped and sounded its horn drawing attention to the incident.

We were given an incident number from the coastguard and did the relevant paperwork before informing the management team. The following day I had a call from Colin and Chris asking how I was, which was kind of them.

Apparently this was the first time that we at Coastwatch had initiated a Mayday Relay. I was very glad I had Mike on duty with me as to deal with this incident by myself would have been quite traumatic. Hopefully the lad has learnt his lesson as had we not seen him and reacted as we did I shudder to think what the outcome would have been. "

Just to add a few editorial comments…..

…. Just for information… a Mayday Relay is the term and prowords used when issuing a Mayday call on behalf of some other person or vessel which cannot make the call themselves.

…. Janet and Mike have also mentioned that having made the Mayday Relay call, VHF Channel 16 then got very busy, with a lot of other vessels ….. some of which were well out of area…. calling in to offer help. This increased their workload and somewhat impeded necessary communication with the Coastguard. Offers of help are good (and in fact, vessels are legally required to assist others) but it’s also good to listen first to understand where the event is happening.

…. And finally…. Rare though these sorts of events are, they are the sorts of things we are trained to deal with and are there to see and react to. But we are all volunteers and receive no official funding. Please help us keep doing what we do by making a donation to keep our station open and operating. You can do this online by visiting our donation page here…. https://www.nci.org.uk/stations/donations

Mayor of Gosport 100 Award.

The Mayor of Gosport, Cllr Jamie Hutchison, presented special awards in November to help mark the 100th anniversary of Gosport becoming a borough.

Cllr Hutchison said: "As part of the borough's 100th anniversary, I wanted to celebrate the achievements of people who make a difference in our community. They could be people who organise community events, or who do valuable work like caring for others or litter-picking. The list of possibilities is endless - I'm just looking for people who have made a positive contribution to their neighbourhood or the borough as a whole."

NCI Gosport was nominated for an award, which was presented to Station Manger Colin Church at a recent ceremony. This is his account….












"Following his recent visit to the Signal Tower, home of NCI Gosport, we were fortunate enough to be nominated for the Mayor of Gosport’s Volunteer Team award. The Ceremony, held at the GBC offices, was attended by myself (Colin Church, Station Manager) and Caroline Hildrew (Deputy Station Manager).

After a warm welcome the Mayor opened the proceedings with a lovely anecdote of a little old lady who was always seen out and about picking litter. Many people thought she was a little crazy and she would smile as you passed her by. She became part of the scenery picking litter every day, the crazy lady, and then one day she died. On the day of her funeral the hearse drove around the town and all of the shop keepers and people on the route clapped. The moral being that volunteers are probably thought of as being a bit crazy but are very much appreciated, and that much of the country would come to a standstill without the invaluable support of volunteers.

The Mayor also outlined the purpose of the Mayor’s 100 awards as 'to pass on our admiration and appreciation for your much valued work and commitment in our community. Thank you for making Gosport a great place to live’.





Before the presentation started I had chance to read some of the citations of those collecting awards and I was humbled to be included on behalf of NCI Gosport. As you can see from the table of mugs there were a lot of people to be thanked from the ‘Gosport Wombles’ who do great work in keeping Gosport free from litter by litter picking regularly in all weathers, to a supporter of GAFIRS (for 46 years and still going), Gosport Cats Protection and a lovely lady who has been fostering for over 40 years and has provided a safe home environment for over 100 children.





NCI Gosport station manager Colin Church receiving the Award Certificate from the Mayor of Gosport, Cllr Jamie Hutchison.

 

At the end of the ceremony the Mayor invited everyone to see the Mayor’s Parlour and we spotted something from the Signal Tower which we had presented to him during his recent visit [Not before trying our the Mayors chair, evidently.... Ed].

 

 

Gosport National Coastwatch Station Honours The “Eternal Watchkeeper”

Several of the National Coastwatch personnel based at National Coastwatch Institution Gosport are veterans of the Royal Navy’s Submarine Service which was based here at HMS Dolphin for many years before the Submariners’ Training School was finally moved to HMS Raleigh at Torpoint in Cornwall in 1998.

HMS Dolphin had been the headquarters of Flag Officer Submarines since 1901 and it is only fitting that all those who served in the “Silent Service” should be commemorated by this fine memorial sculpture of Leading Seaman Reginald Read who had served as a Torpedo Gunner in submarines between 1939 and 1947.


 

He is depicted as the “Eternal Watchkeeper” on lookout duty at sea with his binoculars at the ready, a scene still replicated today by highly trained National Coastwatch Volunteers as they watch over the safety of people and vessels in the congested waters of the Eastern Solent.

The original full-size statue is part of a Combined Services Memorial in Westminster Abbey but there is also a smaller version displayed in the Submariners’ Memorial Church inside Fort Blockhouse in memory of the 174 British Submarines and their crews that have been lost in accidents or on active service during the Navy’s long association with these vessels.

The National Coastwatch Institution has also come a long way since its original inception in 1994; it is now a highly valued asset of HM Coastguard’s Search & Rescue Service and has helped to save many lives around the coasts of England and Wales in recent years.

Donation 'Thank You'

Following receipt of a generous donation from Wightlink, Watchkeepers at NCI Gosport wanted to present a 'Thank You' certificate to them.

Having turned up at the car ferry terminal in Portsmouth, the team was surprised and delighted to be invited aboard the Wightlink flagship, Victoria of Wight to do the presentation on the bridge to the ships master while en-route to Fishbourne and back . Escorted by Karen Woods, head of Communications and PR, the team met and spoke with Capt A Grocott.

The pictures here show Station Manager Colin Church presenting the framed certificate to Capt Grocott, and also other members of the team - Bev Livermore and DSMs Caroline Hildrew and Richard Suggitt - who were mostly wondering what all the buttons do.









Finally, a friendly wave as we went past the Signal Tower from on-duty Watchkeeper Neil Richardson (who only got slightly damp in the rain). A magnifying glass may be helpful here....

NCI Gosport and The Big Red Button

We have to begin by admitting to a bit of artistic license here… there is no big red button (BRB) that we press to raise the alarm when we see people or vessels in distress; mostly we use VHF channel 16 instead. But for every occasion when we do raise the alarm (and there has been some recently which were very well publicised), there must be a dozen or more occasions where we see something that has our hands metaphorically hovering over that big red button, only for the situation to resolve itself. For example….

There were these youngsters jumping into the water from the top of the round tower. Anyone in their right mind will agree that this is not a clever thing to do. Apart from all the other dangers, the jumper has to run fast enough to ensure that he (and it’s almost always a he) clears the 2-metre wide concrete apron that encircles the base of the tower. A few of the group did this with no evident trouble, exiting the water by climbing over the rocks on the harbour-side of the tower (as opposed to exiting via the Hot Walls beach). And then there was this one lad…


We didn’t see him jump or watch his progress into the water, our eyes were elsewhere for a short while. However, we did notice that all this friends at the top of the tower were looking down at him with what appeared to be some anxiety and that he did seem to be very slow to try getting out of the water. Being in a safety organisation one tends to become a pessimist, so we are immediately wondering if he has injured himself somehow, maybe hitting the tower on the way down or not clearing that concrete apron. Is he going to need help ? Our hands strayed over that metaphorical BRB. Was this going to end badly ?

In the end, he did get out OK and get to his feet, maybe rather slowly, maybe with one arm cradling the other. We later believe that he reappeared at the top of the tower to retrieve clothing, following which the whole group dispersed. A fright and a close shave for those jumpers perhaps, maybe a minor injury, but it turned out that they didn’t need us to do anything.




One day a small cuddy boat (not the one in the picture !) was plodding southwards down the very centre of the harbour, one person on board. The centre is not where boats of this size should be, but this event was compounded by the fact that he was completely oblivious to presence of the 100m long freighter behind him, evidently also desiring of exiting the harbour. He also was deaf to the radio calls that QHM (now KHM) were making to him, and to the hooting from the freighter. The freighter was compelled to slow down. 

When they were passing through the harbour entrance the freighter had to move to the right to avoid colliding with this small boat, an exercise made more exciting by the presence of a ferry which was coming in and likewise had to slow down and move aside. As the cuddy boat disappeared from view to become the filling of a maritime sandwich, our hands again strayed to hover over the BRB, expecting when we regained sight of it that the boat would have been converted into matchwood and crushed fibreglass. Happily it didn’t happen; the two large vessels were able to edge round him safely and the small boat just carried on oblivious. Nearly, so nearly, a tragedy.

As a small digression, it might be a good idea to revise the Sound Signals and their meanings (these are also known as Whistle Blasts, which may align more closely to the unprintable language probably used by the skippers of the two larger vessels).

Finally, the case of two men in a speedboat. They exited the harbour, but didn’t want to go far. No problem with that. But they cut their engine and stopped on the inner swashway, just a few yards away from the Fort Blockhouse sea wall. That can be a busy area sometimes, but just then it was quiet, so nothing to worry about there. Until one of the men decided he wanted a swim. This caught our attention - swimming in the inner swash is decidedly not a good idea.



What really caught our attention is when the second man jumped in for a swim as well. Leaving no-one on the boat. Without having put an anchor down first. In the inner swash. Two main scenarios placed themselves in our minds… do they have a boarding ladder so they can get back on the boat, and where will the boat drift to. Our hands hovered over that BRB.

Happily they did have a ladder, got back on board after a short time, and the boat did not drift far. Lucky. Just to test their luck again they did the same thing all over again in the Small Boat Channel not far from BC Outer….. again both took a swim, again letting the boat free to drift, and again we nearly hit the BRB. Their luck held; after a short time they got back in the boat and, much to our relief and peace of mind, entered the harbour and disappeared in to one of the marinas on the Gosport side.



We can perhaps laugh at some of these events now, but all joking aside these are all situations that could have become very serious if not fatal in an eyeblink, so us NCI Watchkeepers take our job of raising the alarm very seriously. We can only do this with your help and generosity. If every person who reads this article would donate just £2, we will be able to keep our lookout station operating for at least the next twelve months, and maybe replace some of our aging equipment. A donation of £5 will in addition help open up new stations to fill gaps around the coast.

Please, please visit our donation page here    https://www.nci.org.uk/stations/donations   so we can be there to press the big red button for you when your minor problem turns serious.

 




Sound Signals

This is an informal summary of the signals which are defined in The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, Part D, Rule 32, with our comments in itialics. These signals are delivered by means of a ‘short blast’ (one seconds duration) on the ships whistle or hooter. Here they are…

1 blast “Vessel altering course to starboard”

2 blasts “Vessel altering course to port.”

These could mean that the vessel is making a 90 degree turn to the right or left, or just moving to the right or left, possibly to go past you. Most often we hear them used when ferries are turning from the main channel into the swashway (and vice-versa) to warn smaller vessels in the area. Just recently though we have started hearing vessels use one blast as a general ‘lookout’ warning.

3 blasts “I am operating astern propulsion”

This does not mean that the vessel is going astern, only that the engines have been put astern. The vessel may be trying to stop, or may go astern once the vessel loses forward way. Mainly we hear this in the harbour as vessels come out of or go into the Camber.

4 blasts “I am a pilot vessel engaged on pilotage duty”, or (depending which manual you read) “I have a pilot on board”.

Not often heard in the harbour area or approaches; you may think it’s meaning is a little vague… possibly it indicates a requirement for priority in movement.

5 blasts “I fail to understand your intentions or actions”, or (again depending on the manual) you “do not understand the approaching boat’s intentions and they need to clarify”, or it signals danger, or “that you do not understand or that you disagree with the other boater’s intentions”.

Bottom line… this signals potential danger and you really need to react if you hear it. Likely you are in the way of a larger vessel. This is the sound signal that the freighter was using in the stray cuddy boat issue above.

No Words Needed

 

Leisure Vessel Survey




Over the last week of August NCI Gosport conducted a survey of leisure vessels using the harbour, counting the various types and they passed the lookout station coming in or going out. You might be surprised (or maybe not...) to learn that in that week there the total number of movements exceeded 4,000. This was just leisure vessels and did not include such things as ferries, fishing boats, pilot boats, or military vessels.

Yachts topped the bill, with motor boats a fairly close second and ribs coming third. Jetskis were represented, but the number was small, and the number of kayaks was smaller still. Here's the full breakdown...



Our fundraiser has pointed out that if we had placed a bucket at the harbour entrance and every vessel had thrown a £1 into it, we could be sure of keeping our lookout service running for many months to come. If you prefer to throw a small sum our way electronically, please visit the donation page on our website https://www.nci.org.uk/stations/donations

Your Generosity Needed To Support NCI.

Following a weekend which on three occasions saw swimmers get into difficulties off the Hot Walls beach and need to be rescued, when all were observed and monitored by NCI Watchkeepers, who on one occasion called a Mayday, it’s time to talk about Watchkeepers.

All NCI Watchkeepers – including those who man the Gosport station - are volunteers. They all give their time freely and without conditions, not only when standing watches, but also when training, doing their annual assessments, and attending monthly training meetings. They do it because they believe that the job is important and worthwhile, and they want to be able to keep on doing it.

To do this they ask one thing of you, and one thing only. Your support

Gosport NCI station receives no public or government funding. Overall it costs at least £3000 a year to keep the station open. At the moment we need to raise an extra £1000 to replace a vital PC.

Your generosity, through your donations, will help us raise this amount and keep the station operating. Please, please visit this page on our web site and make a donation today https://www.nci.org.uk/stations/donations

On behalf of NCI Watchkeepers, thank you.

One of the best-kept secrets….

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston once called NCI “one of the best-kept secrets in Search and Rescue”, meaning that while we do what we hope is a good job, very few people have heard about us. The main reason is that our work involves communication with HM Coastguard (and to a lesser extent locally, the Portsmouth Harbour Master), but very seldom with other people. Often, a casualty will call the Coastguard, and be helped by the rescue vessels, without ever knowing that NCI was involved. For example:-

Consider an evening in early July this year. Two watchkeepers came on duty to cover the 4pm to 7.30pm watch. Given that NCI is a maritime safety organisation, watchkeepers can perhaps be forgiven for anticipating and looking for potential problems. However, scanning the area with their binoculars revealed nothing of concern happening up-harbour, and although there were a few people fishing off the rocks near the harbour entrance none of them seemed in danger of slipping into the water. No-one was endangering themselves by climbing over the fences at the top of the Round Tower or trying to ‘tombstone’ (ie jump off the top into shallow water). The swimmers off the Hot Walls were safely close to the beach, as were those down at the War Memorial area. And the crews of the many boats out in the Solent were safely enjoying their time on the water.

A paddleboarder caught the watchkeepers attention as he paddled Northwards towards the harbour. If he had actually entered, they would have phoned the harbour master (aka QHM) to check he was aware; the East side of the harbour, which has a lot of ferry movements, is a dangerous place for such small craft. NCI most definitely is not a police force, but safety is paramount for us.

Happily, the paddleboarder stayed in the Hot Walls area but at one point was seen hanging on to the navigation marker called Victoria Pile. Was he in difficulty for some reason ? No, he let go and paddled on after a minute or so.

Soon afterwards he seemed to be paddling past Victoria Pile and be heading out into the main channel. This is the harbour approach used by the biggest ships, and it was like watching someone on a bicycle start to cross a motorway with 40-ton trucks bearing down – decidedly not a good idea. So they picked up the phone to inform QHM … just in time for the paddleboarder to turn round and start back towards the beach. Another false alarm.

And for a while, nothing much happened.

Until one of our five radios, tuned to VHF Channel 16, sprang into life. A small speedboat just outside the harbour was making a ‘Pan’ call to the coastguard, the engine having failed. The watchkeepers could spot it easily, and started to do what they had been trained to do. One focussed binoculars on the vessel, confirmed how many were on board, and kept a near-constant watch on it. The other plotted its position on our charts, worked it up as a Lat and Long, and phoned the Coastguard to say the NCI had ‘Eyes On’ and give them the position. He also notified QHM that there was a ‘Pan’ event on their doorstep. And made a record of events.

Over the next twenty to thirty minutes as the boat drifted slightly Westwards, they continued to keep watch on the speedboat and update the chart plot. Once in a while the skipper stood and seemed to be fiddling with the engine, which - given the slightly choppy water - caused concerns that he might fall overboard, making the situation worse.

They were just about to call the Coastguard again to give a position update when a lifeboat came into view, so instead they let the Coastguard know that both vessels were in sight and, and that they had radios tuned so they could talk to the lifeboat crew to direct them to the casualty if necessary.

All credit to the lifeboat crew, they found the problem vessel without help, got a line on it, and towed it into harbour in double-quick time. The watchkeepers completed their notes in the logbook and erased the plot from the charts.

Apart from the Coastguard and QHM, did anyone else know what the NCI watchkeepers had been doing? The paddleboarder, no. The crew of the speedboat ? Probably not.

But that’s the work that NCI does. And will continue to do. Don’t keep it a secret !

 
Distress Signals

How do you call for help when you have an emergency situation, are in "grave and imminent“ danger and need immediate assistance? Conversely, and equally important, if someone else needs assistance, would you recognise the distress signals that they are making?

The international SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) regulations list several ways in which distress can be signalled by day and/or by night. For simplicity, let’s put them into groups…

It’s possible that only very large vessels will use these signals:-

Signal flags ‘N’ and ‘C’ hoisted on a signal mast.

A black square shape hoisted over a black round shape (or vice-versa) on a signal mast.

Noise (eg gunfire) at regular intervals.

Continuous sounding of fog horn.

SOS by morse on radio.

SOS by morse on signal lamp.

A burning bucket of tar or oil on the rear deck. [Maybe a bit archaic, but then again, it’s still an official signal, and flame or smoke coming from any vessel for any reason is bad news].

Perhaps more realistic for leisure vessels are the pyrotechnics:-

Parachute flare; hand flare; orange smoke; rockets throwing red stars; dye marker in the sea.

These are easy to obtain from many chandlers. While they must be stored safely on the vessel, they must also be easy to get to in times of crisis; they are no use to anyone if they are buried at the bottom of the most inaccessible locker. Also, they are no good if they don’t work - they must be in date. Do read the instructions carefully before using them!

Then we have the electronic methods:-

‘Mayday’ by voice on VHF Channel 16.

‘Pan Pan Pan’ by voice on VHF Channel 16 if your situation is not ‘grave and imminent’.

If making either of these calls, keep in mind that your would-be rescuer initially needs to know who, what and where….

Who…. vessel name or call sign

What… type of vessel and nature of emergency

Where… your location, preferably as a Lat and Long, or relative to a good landmark

Maybe add… persons on board

DSC alert; possible only if your radio is enabled for DSC and has the big guarded red button on the front. If you press it, you should follow it up shortly afterwards with a ‘Mayday’ call.

SART and EPIRB beacons; like pyrotechnics these are easily obtained from many chandlers. They do not let you talk to anyone, but they should bring rescuers to you. They have the advantage that they are usually waterproof and are easy to operate one handed.

And, if all else fails:-

Waving your arms, like the chap in the picture at the top, also happens to be an official distress signal. Do this yourself if you have to; if you see someone else doing it, call the Coastguard.



There are a few other items you could use, though these are not included in the SOLAS regs..

Mobile Phone; not actually listed in the SOLAS regs, but are used to call 999 for the Coastguard more and more often simply because just about everyone has one. There disadvantages in using a phone though; you need a good signal, they are not any good when wet, not easy to operate one-handed, and only the Coastguard hears your call. If you make a radio call, nearby vessels will also hear what’s happening and may be able to assist straight away.

A torch; many LED torches can automatically flash an SOS signal in morse if you press the button right.

A voice; shouting can also be a way to call for help if someone is within earshot.

Please do not think that the above is the final word in vessel or personal safety. These are just ways to alert the emergency services. Once alerted and looking for you, you need to stay safe and may need to have another signal to guide the rescuers to you; a boat is easily seen, but a head in the water is not. So other things such as good life jackets and other flotation aids, whistles, lights, high-vis clothing (especially headgear) are all part of the safety issue. For uses of kayaks and paddle-boards, even the paddle itself might be part of your safety equipment… if it is brightly coloured and you can wave it to attract attention.

Conclusion

So, with all these possibilities, what is the best way to call for help? Unfortunately, there is no ‘one size fits all’, much depends on the type of vessel you sail, and how many eventualities you want to consider. You might need to signal distress while still in/on your vessel – or when in a tender or life raft – or when up to your neck in the sea. And it may be daytime or night. These issues apply equally to everyone, whether you go out to sea in a yacht, a large motor cruiser, a dayboat, or a paddleboard or kayak. Given the foregoing, the best suggestion is to carry more than one way to call for help.

Rest assured that if NCI observers see or hear your distress signal, we will immediately notify the Coastguard and, if we can, keep our eyes on you. If necessary, we will direct rescue craft on to your position.

Here’s to happy and safe sailing!

‘Time and Tide’ Part 2    

In case the illustration gives readers the impression that NCI concerns itself only with the safety of yachtsmen, this is perhaps a good time to make it clear that NCI keeps a watch over all waterborne craft and also anyone who near the shore – eg on cliffs, beaches, sea walls etc. Everyone “In, on or near the water” is not exactly an official motto, but it does describe the area and people we keep watch over.

The subject of this blog post … as you might guess from the picture … is ‘Grounding’; this is something that can happen to any vessel, be it yacht, powerboat, or rowing skiff. Watchkeepers at NCI Gosport logged a total of three groundings in our watch area during the year 2021, but for some reason the problem seems to be growing - there have been at least four groundings logged so far in the first six months of 2022, and the number keeps growing.

Some grounding incidents are pretty minor and present no real problems in getting free, but we have seen situations where a good day on the water has been turned instead into a very long tedious wait, and a safe situation into something that is very much less so. Not to mention potential damage to the vessel. So it’s better to avoid the risk of grounding. To do this skippers need to know where they are, and how to interpret their charts; you don’t want to learn what those markings on the chart mean when you grate over them and come to a halt! A GPS of course is very useful; a depth sounder is a great help too - but can only tell you what is under your boat, not the depth fifty metres ahead.

Understanding of the tides is also important, but there is one thing to bear in mind; tide heights do not always conform to the predictions. Meteorology can have a big part to play and we have seen situations where the water was actually 30cm below the level predicted for low tide. If you really want to cut things close and go into shallow water then do allow an extra safety margin.

To be honest, it’s an area where good training really pays off.

We talked about sources of tide information in the prior article in this blog, but there’s another indicator that is very easy to use; watch the WightLink car ferries. Most often they use the Swashway when on the way to the Isle Of Wight or back to Portsmouth. If you see them rounding to the South and East of Spitsand fort, it’s because the Swashway has become too shallow for them. Too shallow for them means that things are likely getting too shallow for you.

NCI likes to be helpful, so if you forgot to make a note of the tides before you sailed, or the piece of paper blew overboard, then feel free to call Gosport NCI on Channel 65.



We have found that one of the common places for yachts to go aground is the Hamilton Bank. This is a long, narrow bank just south of the harbour entrance, but it should not really be hard to avoid it. Simply stay to the East of a straight line from between 4Bar buoy (the red one nearest the harbour entrance) and channel marker BC Outer (the pile nearest the southern wall of Fort Blockhouse). Ryde Sands is another favourite grounding area, but to be honest anyone in any vessel getting too close to any shoreline risks hearing that grating noise.

Wherever you might ground, if it puts you in a dangerous situation (or if you grounded as the result of some dangerous situation), then you should of course call Mayday or Pan Pan on Channel 16. If you are not in any danger but simply cannot un-stick yourself and have to wait for the tide to float you off, it could be a good idea to give Solent Coastguard a call on channel 16 anyway; they will likely call you from time to time to make sure you are still OK. And if problems do develop later, they will already have your details and know where you are. Your radio call helps us too; if you are in our visual area, we will keep an eye on you … just in case more problems develop.

While you are stuck waiting for the tide to rise, you might want to think about a few things, such as…

… when will the tide have risen enough ? It depends what the tide was doing when you grounded. If it was still falling, you’re in for a very long wait. Feel free to call Gosport NCI on channel 65 if you want to get hold of the tide times.

… Will it be dark by the time you do get free, and are you able to navigate home at night ?

… would it be a good idea to put an anchor down ? It probably is. It may turn out to be unnecessary, but it shouldn’t harm anything, and it may well stop you being drifted further along the sandbank (or whatever you grounded on) as the tide rises and prevent you floating clear. We’ve seen this happen, and it turned a short wait into a very long one.

… will my radio / phone / lights have enough battery power to keep going while I wait, and do I have a spare fully charged mobile or radio in a waterproof bag ? Losing communications could turn a boring wait into something of a crisis, especially if other things start to go wrong.

… do I have some food and drink aboard ? And a first aid kit ?

You can probably think of a few more such questions yourself, and you may feel that the last couple of questions are important for a good days’ sailing anyway. But it only goes to show, if you do not anticipate the worst, you sometimes have to suffer it. But here’s one last question…

… if all your electronic means of communication fail, and you need urgent help, do you know of the other ways can you signal a Mayday ? Will nearby vessels recognise them ? Perhaps we should look at these in the next Blog post.



If only a few posts are visible in this blog, click on the ‘Older Posts’ link to see more.

Time and Tide Part 1

This article in the ‘View from the Harbour Entrance’ blog looks at some of the problems caused by tides. Given how incredibly accurate tide predictions can be, and how easy it is to get hold of those predicted tide times and heights, you might think that watercraft users would never suffer tide-related problems. Unfortunately, in practice, you would sometimes be wrong. That’s not to say that everyone hits problems caused by tides – far from it. But there is one particular event that you can almost guarantee we will observe at almost every spring tide.

Before we launch into that, let’s review where you can get tide information. Well, there are plenty of almanacs and harbour guides available containing tide information (note that times are invariably given in GMT, so you have to adjust by one hour in the summer). You can also get a tide app for your smartphone.

Next, the QHM (Queens Harbour Masters) website gives tide information for that day; a good place to go is here as you can also get information on shipping movements…..

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/portsmouth/shipping-movements

For the current depth of tide, take a look at channel marker BC4 as you go past it; this has tide gauge rings spaced every half metre; the top represents a depth of six metres.

In the NCI Gosport lookout tower, we keep careful track of the tides (as does every other NCI station in the country); we use an application on our PC which shows the predicted tide height minute by minute. And we have a clear view of BC4. So if you’re stuck for information, give Gosport NCI a call on Channel 65.


So why do some skippers have a problem ? Well, it concerns ebbing spring tides. When the tide ebbs, the millions of gallons of water in the harbour all try to get out through the small pinch point formed by the Round Tower on the Portsmouth side and Fort Blockhouse on the Gosport side. This causes what is called a Tidal Stream of fast flowing water; and its speed is dependent on the levels of water inside and outside the harbour. At its peak, about three hours after high water, the Tidal Stream can be running at four knots or more, maybe as high as six knots. Since this effect is most marked during Spring tides, it tends to occur mid- to late afternoon.

If you are leaving the harbour at that time, especially if you are near the centre of the channel, you will be leaving mighty fast; we have sometimes seen very small vessels get out of control for a short while.

The bigger problem though is if you are trying to enter the harbour, against this stream, particularly if you are near the centre of the channel. Your vessel has to be making at least five knots in order to even move forward against the Tidal Stream. We so very often see low-powered vessels fighting against the Tidal Stream to come into harbour, engines at max and dirty smoke pouring out of the exhaust, but moving at snails’ pace. Some make no real progress for tens of minutes at a time, and waste a lot of fuel in the process.

So, how do you avoid getting caught like this ? One answer is to understand the tides, know when the Tidal Stream will peak, and simply avoid this period of time. All the information you need for this is on your charts in the Tide Diamond tables, you just need to understand how to use it. You can always call us on Channel 65 and ask about the state of the tide before you attempt to come in.

Another answer is to simply give up; if you find you are making no real progress then turn away, enjoy sailing for a bit longer, and come back an hour or so later.

The last solution is to avoid entering near the centre of the channel, and positioning more accurately within the Small Boat Channel (SBC). You should be in the SBC anyway, but the advantage in this situation of being in the SBC is that you are closer to the shore, and the Tidal Stream here is much lower… possibly to half what it is in the centre, maybe even less. It is sometimes marked by large patches of calm water. So, if you are in danger of blowing up your engine trying to get in against the tide, and you see other boats going past you on your port side getting in with far less effort, do the obvious thing… copy them. Move to port (but still keeping the red channel markers on your port side), throttle back, and (if this suggestion has helped you) give us a wave.



It would be wrong to finish without mentioning one other situation. If the tide is ebbing and a strong Tidal Stream develops, and is there is a strong southerly wind, you get a condition called “Wind Over Tide”. Without going into the hydrodynamics of it all, the bottom line is that you end up with a strong and very rough Tidal Stream. Large standing waves can be formed. Notwithstanding all the suggestions above, small vessels should avoid this altogether; even large vessels will find it uncomfortable.



Note - if only a few posts are visible in this blog, click on the ‘Older Posts’ link towards the bottom of the page to see more.

The view of the Gosport Station from the Round Tower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was on my PC today and came across a number of videos on YouTube that describe National Coastwatch and its operation pretty well. If you have an idle few minutes, and want to learn more about NCI, you may like to watch these...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfjX554jnaE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SqCOcLAfpM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPtJ0aeclJg

NCI Poulran BBC Spotlight - December 1st 2010

CoastWatch.mp4 - YouTube

Do please bear in mind that some of the vidos are ten years old or more, and some of the statistics and numbers of stations are out of date. Just to set the record straight, as of end 2021...

There were about 56 operational NCI stations

Which participated in about 700 incidents.... half of which were initiated by NCI.




By the way - if only a few posts are visible in this blog, click on the ‘Older Posts’ link towards the bottom of the page to see more.

'Round The Island' Race

I've taken the liberty of copying a post from our Facebook page about the recent 'Round The Island' race...

"Yesterday the annual Round the Island race took place in force 4-6 winds. Many competitors departed and returned to Portsmouth and NCI Gosport was operational from 06.00 until sunset. We had a busy day with many radio check requests on Channel 65 and followed numerous Mayday and PanPan calls. We relayed a PanPan to Solent Coasyguard from a vessel aground on Bembridge ledge taking on water and with engine failure and had ‘eyes on’ a yacht grounded on Ryde Sands. In addition HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier entered the harbour and the Japanese guided missile destroyer Shimakaze and HMS Dauntless departed."

Now that was a busy day !

NCI Gosport 14th Anniversary

It just so happens that our last monthly Training & Admin meeting fell on 1st June 2022, which is the 14th Anniversary of the opening of the NCI Gosport station (1 June 2008). To record the event for posterity, we were able to get group photo of everyone present.

[Unfortunately a few people could not make the meeting, so we were about a dozen short].

Station Manager Interview

For this Blog entry we interviewed Colin Church, Station Manger of NCI Gosport, to find out more about NCI and how the Gosport station operates.





Q. We know that the NCI Gosport station overlooks the harbour entrance at Fort Blockhouse, but when did it first open ?

Colin. The station opened in 2008 and has been in continuous operation since then, apart from a brief hiatus due to the covid lockdown.



Q. How many volunteers man the station ? How many are there at any one time ?

Colin. We have about 60 volunteers - more formally called ‘Watchkeepers’ - at Gosport. We open the station at 9am each day with two watchkeepers on duty; they hand over to another two at 12.30pm. In the summer months another two come on duty at 4pm; they close the station at 7.30pm. We have an online rostering system so that watchkeepers can choose what days and times they wish to be on duty. On average each watchkeeper will be on duty about three times per month.



Q. Can anyone be a watchkeeper ?

Colin. Yes; our current watchkeepers come from all walks of life. Some have a maritime background, many do not. We have our own training scheme for new volunteers so that everyone attains the same level of maritime knowledge.



Q. What other facilities do you have in the station ?

Colin. We have five separate radios, tuned to different marine VHF channels, two handheld radios, a landline phone and a backup mobile phone, and a PC. The PC is predominantly used for an active AIS display. We also have a weather station; the information from this is accessible from our web page.

Plus a range of maritime charts, plotters, binoculars, telescopes, and a pelorus. The lookout station is pretty compact, we probably cant fit much more in to it ! Here are a couple of pictures of the station interior.






Q. There are a lot of radios in those pictures. What radio channels do you monitor ?

Colin. The coastguard channels 16 and 67, QHM’s channel 11, our own channel 65, and the SAR channel 0.



Q. What takes place during a watch ?

Colin. Apart from some routine work, the main task is to monitor the radios and to look out of the window. If we see a vessel or person who is in distress or danger, we can issue a Mayday call on their behalf to the Coastguard. If we hear a Mayday on the radio we will try and locate it visually so that if need be we can pass information to the Coastguard.



Q. Do you just respond to mayday calls ?

Colin. No, we also try and locate vessels that have issued PanPan calls and keep an eye on it in case the situation worsens, and again in case we can pass information to the Coastguard. We also try to keep an eye on vessels and people that may be vulnerable for one reason or another.



Q. Do you only look out sea-wards ?

Colin. As well watching out to sea, we also monitor the activity in Portsmouth harbour, the sea walls, and the beaches and coastlines. This is a rought composite of some photos that show our view up-harbour and from the round tower towards Southsea Castle.







Q. Do you ever contact the harbourmaster (KHM) as well as the Coastguard ?

Colin. We will phone or radio both of these if there is an incident occurring that warrants it, though thankfully this is rare. More often our contact with QHM is to point out a small vessel that they may not have noticed or a swimmer off hot walls too close to the main channel with a strong tide running.



Q. What about other organisations ?

Colin. If we see something on land or the beaches that needs an emergency services response, we will make a normal 999 phone call, and if we see dangerous or unsocial behaviours such as tombstoning we will call the Portsmouth Community Wardens.



Q. You mentioned ‘vulnerable’ vessels. What do you mean by that ?

Colin. It’s a long list ! Basically, it is any vessel that causes us a safety concern for any reason. It might just be a very small vessel like a kayak or paddleboard, an overloaded vessel, crew who are not wearing flotation aids, vessels not conforming to harbour regulations, powered vessels that do not have a kill-cord attached.



Q. How many incidents did you get involved with last year ?

Colin. NCI Gosport participated in 19 incidents last year. Happily these did not include any mayday situations but there were things like vessels running out of fuel, having engine failure, groundings, capsize, man overboard, and a paddleboarder losing an oar.

Nationally, NCI participated in about 700 incidents last year. In about half of those, NCI watchkeepers raised the alarm. The number of incidents that NCI participates in has been growing year-on-year; back in 2008 the incident count was 147. This growth is cause in part by the way the number of NCI stations has been growing, but also reflects the way that the use of the water for leisure has been increasing.

We have also taken a proactive approach to water safety and education in conjunction with the QHM by capturing incidents of water borne anti-social behaviour. These are then followed up by the Port Safety Officer Becky. We have also recently appointed our own Water Safety Officer and the role is being developed.



Q. Is there anything else you provide for boat users ?

Colin. Yes, we offer a radio check service on VHF Channel 65. In fact, the Coastguard prefer boat users to call Gosport NCI on this channel rather than using Channel 16 or 67 as it reduces clutter on 16 and 67 and reduces their workload.

We can also offer an AIS check. And if users call us on Channel 65 or by phone on 023 9276 5194 we can also tell them about the weather and water conditions, including tide, at the harbour entrance. Readings from our weather station are also available on the internet at www.NCI.ORG.UK/Gosport



Q. Is there anything you would like to add in closing ?

Colin. Yes. It is to remind readers that our station is a manned entirely by volunteers who give their time freely, and that new and existing NCI stations can only operate with the support – moral and financial - of the public and local businesses.

NCI - The Beginning

 

It seems like a good idea in this first post to describe how NCI itself started. To be brief, the first station opened in October 1994, but to set the scene you have to look back a few more years.



Up to 1991, the Coastguard operated and maintained a comprehensive network of manned lookout stations round the coast of the UK. By the end of 1992 however, following a period of rationalisation and modernisation, most of these had closed.

The seas round the UK can be capricious, dangerous, and take vessels and lives. In 1994 it took two more – two local fishermen who drowned near the recently-closed lookout at Bass Point.

One can only imagine how feelings – sadness, anger, resentment perhaps - ran in the local communities. But the people there did something remarkable; instead of making protests they made history, trying to ensure that this sort of tragedy would not happen again. Following well-supported public meetings they obtained funding from generous donors, found equipment, recruited volunteers and took over the now-disused lookout. In so doing they started a volunteer-led watch over the sea: this was the foundation of the organisation we now know as NCI - an organisation that I am personally proud to be a member of and who’s uniform I am privileged to wear.

NCI Bass Point started operational watch-keeping in October 1994. It is still going strong today. Oh, and like many other NCI stations, has received a Queens Award for Voluntary Service.

Since 1994 NCI has expanded, devised and implemented standards, developed training, and built a relationship with HM Coastguard. It has now grown to a current total of 58 stations with yet more in the pipeline; in the year 2021 total watchkeeper time amounted to 215,281 hours. But just like Bass Point in 1994, NCI Gosport, founded in 2008, is still manned entirely by volunteers, and reliant on the generosity of the public and local businesses for funding.

Welcome !

Welcome to the NCI Gosport Blog ! It comprises a series of articles from Watchkeepers at NCI Gosport, based on their experiences of what they see at hear while on watch in the lookout tower at the harbour entrance. We hope to post new articles from time to time.

Just to be formal, please note that these are personal statements and do not necessarily reflect the official view of NCI Gosport or NCI nationally. However, we hope that you find them interesting and useful.