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.
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.
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 !
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 !
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