VIEW FROM THE TOWER!

In this blog we don’t talk much about paddleboarding (if at all)…   even though the sport is becoming ever more popular, we don’t see many in our ‘View From The Harbour Entrance’, and those that we do see do not usually come that close to us.   [Though of course when we do see them we like to make sure they are not in difficulty and are not getting too close to large craft]. However, a recent news item caught our eye; it concerns a paddleboarder who was carried a long way out to sea by the wind and currents, and who was thrown off his board. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-66727915 The bottom line here is that the sea is capricious and will catch out the unwary.   In the words of the victim "I've learned the biggest lesson of my life.   "I want to tell every paddleboarder: check the weather, check the tides, and wear a buoyancy aid. This is so important.".     But we would like to add these important points… this advice applies to every person who go

If you are one of the lovely people who support us by subscribing to the Gosport Community Lottery (who donate a proportion of their takings to local charities, including NCI Gosport), then you might like to know about the Lottery September Super Draw .   September’s big Super Draw prize is a whopping must-have  £1,500 IKEA gift card, to give your home a big autumn makeover! The new Gosport Lottery Super Draw also gives you new ways to play – instead of committing to weekly tickets, new players can choose to just buy tickets for the Super Draw week, meaning more flexibility and less commitment, whilst still supporting Gosport Coastwatch.  Existing supporters can even choose to TOP-UP their tickets just for the week of the Super Draw!  There's no need for existing supporters to buy a separate ticket - you will automatically be entered into the special draw, but of course you could buy extra tickets to give you more chances to WIN! Or why not invite friends and family usin

Are you planning to go ?   The show is on from the 15 th to the 24 th September. If you do attend, please take a minute or two to drop by the NCI stand.   Watchkeepers from various stations will be manning the stand during this ten-day period; on the 19 th it’s watchkeepers from NCI Gosport.   They will be very happy to meet you, swap stories with you, give out information (and perhaps some goodies!), and have some safety tips to share.

Looking back over our records, it’s interesting to note that engine failures and groundings consistently make up almost half of all the incidents that we in NCI Gosport record in our official log.   In 2021, there were 9 were engine fails or groundings out of 19 logged incidents.   In 2022 the figures are 16 out of 36.   For this year so far the figures are 10 out of 21.   These events – which mainly ought to be avoidable – usually put an end to a good day’s sailing or boating.   It makes you stop and think.   How do you avoid falling foul of them ? In the case of groundings, the short answer is to know your position , understand the charts , and understand the effect of tides .   A GPS-based navigation system and a depth sounder are a big help, but to keep it simple, if you don’t stray into shallow water you wont get stuck on the bottom. For engine failures, she short answer here is maintenance and fuel .   We cant know how many of these reported engine failures were actually ca

  Coastal safety received an extra boost this summer with the official launch of ‘Stay Safe Along The Coast’ from National Coastwatch. As well as their traditional task of keeping a lookout for vessels and persons in distress on the sea and along the coastlines, NCI Watchkeepers will be taking a more proactive role in promoting coastal and water safety. NCI stations which are public facing will offer practical safety support, distributing wrist bands for children to carry their guardian’s contact details so they can be quickly reunited, waterproof phone pouches, and stickers for owner’s contact details for paddleboards and personal watercraft. The charity’s volunteer watchkeepers will also provide information on local sea and tidal conditions, and local weather. Stephen Hand, National Coastwatch Chair said: “We’ve been active in promoting coastal safety for some time but the official launch of ‘Stay Safe Along the Coast’ is an important step forward. We also work c

    Our station was visited today by a lovely couple – Derrick and Linda - who very kindly presented us with a substantial donation, having made a collection for NCI at their recent Golden Wedding celebration.   We were delighted to see them (and to accept donation) and in return were very please to present them with our ‘Thank You’ certificate.       Keen sailors, the couple have a catamaran in one of the local marinas; they always call Gosport NCI to do their radio checks, and promise to always give us a wave as they sail past our lookout.  Congratulations on their Golden Wedding Anniversary and we look forward to hearing their calls and seeing them !   Derrick later posted this on Facebook... "At our Golden wedding anniversary we told our friends and family that we did not want any presents but if they wanted to make a donation we would donate it to a worthy charity and in our view the National Coastwatch institution fits the bill admirably. So thanks to the generosity of o

If you regularly shop online with big name stores such as John Lewis & Partners, Expedia, Amazon, Argos, and Just Eat (and up to 7500 others), you can donate to NCI Gosport at no cost to yourself !  You shop, they donate, it's that simple !  It's all explained here... https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ To sign up to support Gosport, just go here...   https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ncigosport/ In addition, if you sign up before 21st August, you will help increase our chances of winning an extra £10 donation prize... again at no cost to yourself. Many thanks !  Your support means a lot to us.