VIEW FROM THE TOWER!

    The rain might be putting a dampener on your summer – but we’ve got something to brighten your day! By playing Gosport Community Lottery during August, you will be in with a chance to win a fantastic Apple MacBook Air in the very first Super Draw ! And at the same time, you will be supporting Gosport Coastwatch, which will receive a proportion of this lottery fund.     With a slim profile and all‑day battery life, the Apple MacBook Air   lets you do anything from working on the go to professional-level video editing and action-packed gaming - and it comes at the perfect time for the new year of school or university!              If you do not already have tickets, this is an ideal time to sign up to give Gosport Coastwatch a summer fundraising boost; get your tickets now to be in with a chance to win this amazing prize. If you are already a supporter, there is no need to buy a separate ticket - you will automatical...

Would you like to enjoy having a regular flutter on a local lottery, and support NCI Gosport at the same time ?   You can do this by signing up to the Gosport Community Lottery .  The Gosport Community Lottery is managed by Gosport Voluntary Action and is supported by Gosport Borough Council.   It is an exciting weekly lottery that raises money for good causes in Gosport. All good causes supported by the lottery will benefit Gosport and its residents.   Play the lottery, support Gosport - it’s that simple! Tickets for the lottery cost just £1 per week. Each ticket has a  1 in 50  chance of winning a prize each week, with a top prize of £25,000! That’s a better chance of winning than the National Lottery or the Health Lottery! To enjoy a flutter and support NCI Gosport, just go to this web page and purchase tickets...     https://www.gosportcommunitylottery.co.uk/support/nci-gosport

To us NCI Watchkeepers in our lookout tower at the harbour entrance, it often feels strange   that occasionally water-borne visitors will arrive without knowing that there are rules dictating how to enter, where you can go, and who you have to speak to.   They don’t seem to realise that Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy, has a lot of commercial and cruise movements, and is the second busiest ferry port in the UK.   Visiting skippers who get things wrong do rather often ‘get away with it’ if the port is quiet, only to keep getting it wrong on subsequent visits.   But then there are times when ignorance of the rules causes disruption and annoyance, and sometimes worse.   Take for example the case of a small rowing boat we spotted recently.   It first appeared as a small dot in the far distance, and seemed to be midway between 1Bar and 2bar buoys….   Ie in the centre of the channel.   As it gradually got closer – still in the centre of the c...

While we are all recovering from a very wild and windy weekend, you might be wondering just how windy it was.  Well, at the NCI Gosport station, we got this... Date - 15 July 2023 Time - 17.05 Max gust - 44.3 knots Direction - SSW   This is the highest recorded windspeed at our station since we started putting our weather data online; it's just breath away from Force 9.   [Happily, our station is still standing and suffered no damage.]

Coastal safety is set for 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 clos...

In a lot of situations, our main activity is to keep a casualty vessel under observation, pass details and updates to the Coastguard, and be there to notice in case things should go from bad to worse.   One of our Watchkeepers – a keen sailor – recently wrote about the reassurance that she felt knowing that someone was keeping an eye out…. As a Gosport NCI Watchkeeper I know the routine of keeping a watch – being the eyes and ears along the coast.  I am also aware that whilst we all work to a common understanding and methods not all stations have the same volume of activity as we do at Gosport NCI. Recently I have been sailing in waters unfamiliar to me – from Gosport towards the Netherlands and return - via Dover.  On the way to the Netherlands we sailed through strong NE winds (Force 5 to 6) in moderately rough seas.  It was very reassuring to know that I had some fellow watchkeepers along the coast watching me and knew that help would be there if we needed it....