HM Coastguard has just released a website packed with safety tips whether you are on the beach or on the water!
Follow the link for Family Safety Week - https://t.co/SmVi6taMUJ
Welcome to the water safety blog of Gosport NCI. Manned by volunteers, Gosport NCI is located in Fort Blockhouse and provides a visual and listening watch over Portsmouth harbour and the Eastern Solent.
HM Coastguard has just released a website packed with safety tips whether you are on the beach or on the water!
Follow the link for Family Safety Week - https://t.co/SmVi6taMUJ
Knowing the local weather conditions before you set off can make all the difference to the enjoyment of a day on the water. Have you ever wondered what the actual weather is like at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour, or Bembridge or the Needles for example? Help is at hand! Your local NCI Stations all along the Solent make regular weather broadcasts on VHF Channel 65 throughout the day to give you up to date information about the actual weather near you. Gosport NCI has published a leaflet detailing the times of all the local NCI broadcasts - look out for it at your local NCI station or marina or listen out on VHF Channel 65.
Becoming a watch keeper:
If you would like to become a watch keeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
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The generosity of our donors is vital to the continued operation of the station and is appreciated by the station's watch keepers
Becoming a watch keeper:
If you would like to become a watch keeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Cold Comfort!
The first came as a result of the GAFIRS New Years Day swim; three hardy watchkeepers from the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) Gosport station joined hundreds of swimmers for a chilly sponsored dip into the Solent on New Years Day. Although more used to keeping watch over the sea, coasts and other swimmers for those in distress, our watchkeepers bravely launched themselves intothe water and were not at all distressed to raise a substantial amount in personal sponsorship!One part of this was donated to the NCI station, and the other was given to GAFIRS.
Heart Felt Thanks!
An official ‘Thank You’ certificate was presented by the NCI Gosport Station Manager in recognition of a special training programme run by GAFIRS for the watchkeepers of NCI Gosport. This included First Aid, CPR and the use of Defibrillators. The Station Manager commented that; “although we hope that we will not need these skills - it’s good to know we have them at our fingertips if we need them”.
Becoming a watch keeper:
If you would like to become a watch keeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
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Richard Suggitt, Gosport NCI Station Manager presents a Supporter's Certificate to John Ainsworth, POG Commodore.
Becoming a watch keeper:
If you would like to become a watch keeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
As watchkeepers based in Portsmouth harbour entrance, we get the opportunity to see an amazing variety of different vessels.........Commercial Tugs at work.
Tugs are an important part of Portsmouth harbour. Admiralty tugs and SERCO tugs help ensure the safety of shipping transiting the harbour.
Becoming a watchkeeper:
If you would like to become a watchkeeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
As watchkeepers based in Portsmouth harbour entrance, we get the opportunity to see an amazing variety of different vessels.........Naval Tugs at work.
Tugs are an important part of Portsmouth harbour. Admiralty tugs and SERCO tugs help ensure the safety of shipping transiting the harbour.
Becoming a watchkeeper:
If you would like to become a watchkeeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
As watchkeepers based in Portsmouth harbour entrance, we get the opportunity to see an amazing variety of different vessels.........Traditional Sailing Boats
Becoming a watchkeeper:
If you would like to become a watchkeeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
This is #walkyourdogmonth. The NCI has got some top tips to keep safe! Always keep your pets on a lead around cliff edges or choppy seas. And if the worst happens do not put yourself at risk, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
Becoming a watchkeeper:
If you would like to become a watchkeeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk
for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.eyesalongthecoast, #coastwalk, #dogfriendly
As watchkeepers based in Portsmouth harbour entrance, we get the opportunity to see an amazing variety of different vessels.........The carriers!
Look out for more pictures!
Becoming a watchkeeper:
If you would like to become a watchkeeper, email the station manager at richard.suggitt@nci.org.uk for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Recently watchkeepers from Gosport NCI were invited to visit Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service, known locally as GAFIRS. It is one of a surprising number of independent lifeboat rescue services around the coast (over 60) that plays a vital role in maritime and inshore safety.They work in close collaboration with the UK Coastguard and other lifeboat services, such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Their area of coverage includes the waters off Lee-on-the-Solent, Hill Head, and Stokes Bay, extending out into the Solent itself and makes GAFIRS one of the busiest lifeboat stations in the UK!
As a charitable institution, GAFIRS relies on donations, grants, and community support to maintain its operations. This year, three intrepid Gosport NCI watchkeepers joined the Stokes Bay New Year’s Day swim to help raise funds to support GAFIRS work.
For more information or to support GAFIRS, visit GAFIRS official website.
Alan, former naval officer
Why I became a watchkeeper?
I love binoculars round my neck and to see the whole of the eastern Solent in view and that I am making a contribution to water safety.
Becoming a watchkeeper:
If you would like to become a watchkeeper, email the station manager at gosport@nci.org.uk for more information.
Making a donation to Gosport NCI:
Text NCIGOSPORT to 70450 to donate £5.
Social Media
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.