Dismasted sailing dinghy

Both the Coastguard team and RNLI inshore lifeboat (ILB) crew were paged just after midday to a report of a dismasted sailing dinghy and person in the water.

The solo occupant had abandoned the dinghy and managed to get to the large RNLI mooring buoy.

The ILB launched and collected the male bringing him ashore to the sailing club and waiting Coastguard team. The lifeboat crew returned and picked up the drifting sailing dinghy and brought it ashore as shown above.

The Coastguard checked the welfare of the dinghy sailor whilst members of the sailing club helped recover the dinghy.

On top of the world

Yesterday's patrol headed up on to Godlingston Hill.

With the kind permission of the landowner conditions were tough being  very wet and muddy.




With slow and careful driving we made it keeping to the main track.

Gates checked and a foot patrol to lessen the damage to the track.


The view is amazing to see Swanage from above and the valley to Corfe


Just one little problem ..... Turning around without slipping over the bank or damaging the ground.

One very careful driver later and the job was done.

Warning signs

Found something?

Substance washes up on UK beaches

This article is from the Coastguard Facebook page -

We are asking members of the public to keep a close eye on their dogs and to keep them on leads if they see an unusual substance on beaches around the UK. We’ve had reports that some beaches have had a waxy substance wash up on their shores like in these photos.

We are currently investigating the origins of this material.

Past incidents have shown it is likely to be residues from a vessel that has cleaned its tanks after discharging its cargo.

This type of substance could be harmful to dogs, so we recommend that people keep their dogs within sight, preferably on leads, whilst enjoying the coast. If you do see a whitish sponge like substance in appearance that looks out of place on the beach then please report it to the UK Coastguard.

The local Coastguard number is 01305 760439

We are not aware of any on the beaches of Swanage at this time although there has previously been palm oil washed up by Sheps Hollow which this substance could be.

Cross border training

Last night the team were invited to the big city for training.........Poole !

We joined colleagues from the Poole Coastguard team at Poole Port for some defibrillator training.







Roger and Nick in action learning how to use a public accessed defibrillator.







Kerry and Duncan practicing CPR , a vital part of the process before using the device.


Thanks to Mr Laut of Poole Port for hosting us all.

Dancing Ledge Code of Conduct

The National Trust has devised guidelines for the sustainable use of Dancing Ledge by the mixture of activity and recreational groups that use it.  Dancing Ledge is to the West of Swanage and the point where our patch meets that of our flank team at St Albans.

The BBC News website has more details

Weather watch

The storm that brought snow to the east coast of America is heading our way.

Thankfully it's not going to snow but it could bring heavy rain and gale force winds.

The storm will arrive tomorrow ( Tuesday) and with already very wet fields and roads we urge you to take care.

Further updates will follow if the various agencies upgrade their warnings.

Do you know what's washed up?

It might look like a rusty lump of metal or a pipe,

It might be 70 years old,

But it can still go with a bang

999 Coastguard

Whales wash up in Skegness

A truly sad sight this morning, two deceased sperm whales washed up on a beach near Skegness.

Thought to be linked to the one washed up at Hunstanton this week, these two were discovered by a warden who alerted HM Coastguard.

The local coastguard team have been on scene to protect the area whilst scientific studies of the creatures are carried out.

Read more

What is this?

The answer to the last one was indeed the old fog horn at Anvil Point, long since decommissioned.

So what and where is this ?

Fresh Cliff Fall

A very fresh cliff fall discovered this afternoon.

After the heavy rain this morning, this small fall shows the collapse of the ceiling of this small cave.

Volunteer as a Coastguard

Ever wondered what we really do ?

Did you know that the rescue teams are volunteers?

Want to know more?

Could you join us? Check to see where the vacancies are or let us know your interested as there may be vacancies soon.

Do something exciting in 2016 - volunteer and be part of your community.

Cliff Falls

Cliff edges are dangerous locations.

With the recent rain followed by heavy frost, cliffs falls will increase.

Be aware , stay safe.

In a coastal emergency dial 999 ask for Coastguard

Search planning

Its a cold night and the team has been called to search for an overdue walker.

Once on station a search plan has to be created in conjunction with the National maritime operations centre.

Maps are checked , details are checked , a casualty profile is created and checked with the search manual before teams are briefed and sent on their way to search.




Search teams are updated and checked everyone 15 minutes and process marked on a map.

Thankfully 40 minutes into the search the missing person is found with a broken leg and first aid is given.




Thankfully this was just an exercise but the team continues to train in search planning and searching.

After the training , comes the cleaning

So the team goes training on a cold damp Sunday morning, which means the equipment gets a bit muddy and damp.

So starts several days of cleaning and drying.




The equipment being cleaned and left to dry before checking and storing.

In an emergency the equipment would be quickly collected together and taken to the incident.




250 metres of line having been washed , cleaned and before its hung up to dry. What else would you use a shower room for !

What is this

Another what is this ?

Victoria Avenue Road Closure

Another road closure coming in force tomorrow, 17th January for road works.

The Road will be closed over the Victoria Avenue Road bridge to allow a redundant gas pipe to be removed.

The road closure will be be expected to be in place for six hours , starting from 14.00 to 20.00 however the closure could be in place for up to five days should the works need to continue.

Along the Coast

The BBC Website reports some cliff falls further along the Jurassic Coast at West Bay.

picture courtesy West Bay Coastguard

Take care if you are out walking at the weekend.   Recent rains have saturated and loosened the ground.  The freezing conditions which have been forecast will open up cracks and start to dislodge pieces of rock - keep a good look out, and stay away from the edges.

Ice warning

With a Yellow weather warning in force over night, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.

With the rain we have had in the last few weeks this is still running off the fields in places on to the road.
This could freeze over night and with only the main road being gritted will leave untreated road surface prone to ice.

Please drive carefully , why not set that alarm clock 10 minutes earlier tonight to give yourself plenty of time to get to work?

Ensure you keep your distance from the vehicle in front and generally reduce your speed to meet what may just be round the corner.

Road Closure

Victoria Avenue is due to be closed with the junction of Shore Road on the 25th January till the 14th February.

The road closure is to allow the Environment Agency to replace the covers of its storm drains.

The diversion road is shown above.

A quay point

High water yesterday in Swanage. Thankfully the weather was kind with no rough seas or this picture could have been very different with flooding of the lower high street.

Feeling the squeeze

With the winter storms the low water yesterday showed the affects the weather has had on the beach.

The beach has been pushed up and the effects of the waves and has moved the sand off shore.

Come Hail and High Water

Today's patrol focussed on some of the tracks in Rempstone Forest and looked at a new training location and some possible access points to the shoreline, should we ever get tasked in this area.
During the 2-hour sortie, the patrol encountered glorious sun, high winds, torrential rain and hail.  Oh, and a rainbow with a pot of gold in Poole Harbour!



Hail and Sun at Cleavel Point


 

Cleavel Point - Sun and Hail

There's a pot of gold somewhere....

All washed up

With reports in the southwest of items being washing up on beaches, a little check of Durlston took place.

Durlston does get its fair share of items washed up but as you can see not a lot was found.





conditions down to the bay are rather slippery and with the sea was rough so a full search wasn't carried out today.

Remember is you find anything suspicious , drums or hazards please contact the Coastguard via 999

Sunset at Anvil Point

A winters sun set at Anvil Point on Sunday with more rain rolling in.

Sadly there is another yellow weather warning issued today for rain in West Dorset over the next 24 hours.

Consider others in flood water

There is a lot of advice on driving through flood water, the best we can give you is not too and find another route!

Always check before proceeding and never enter fast flowing water.

Please consider pedestrians on the road side - creating a large wave to soak someone might look funny but it's an offence.

If driving past property slow down, a large wave can make the difference of flood water entering someone house or not.

After the rain......

After that deluge of rain, the team deployed on patrol to check the local hotspots.











King George's Car Park , luckily those cars were just in the dry.











The flood system checked for the environment agency - protecting the town thankfully.











Washpond lane - living up to its name.











Top of wash pond lane.











Ulwell Road , where the road was awash and in danger of flooding a resident.









Team deployed to slow traffic and stop waves entering the little cottage.



We would like to remind drivers to avoid flood water.
Only proceed if its safe to do so , slow down when approaching flooded roads but keep revs up. Aways check the depth, never proceed if the depth is more than the bottom of you tyres.



It is also an offence to purposely speed up to soak the poor residents who were clearing the drains. Two vehicles were seen to do this on the main road and put other road users at risk.

Careful on the Roads

Please take care on the roads flooding on the Swanage to Studland road at the moment. This is currently outside the station.

What is this?

The rough weather has squeezed the beach up and uncovered some relics of the past.

So what's this that we have just found on the beach ?

1st Incident of 2016

The team were tasked this afternoon by the National Maritime Operations Centre to a report of a young adult male in the water north of Knoll Beach.

The team arrived along with Poole RNLI Inshore Lifeboat and Officers of Dorset Police to search for the male.

A member of the public approached the team and stated the male had come out of the water and was now with others in the cafe.

The team confirmed the male was safe with a family member and he didn't require any medical treatment.

Flood Warning

East Coast of Dorset

This Flood Alert effects the whole of the East Coast of Dorset particularly at Weymouth, Preston Beach and Swanage and will remain in force for two hours following the time of high tide. The time and date of the forecast high water for which this Flood Alert is in force is : 05:30 am (Local time) on 02/01/2016. The forecast wind direction is Southerly. The forecast wind strength is Force 8.


What to do now?

After a flood alert or warning has been issued, listen to local radio for updates or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
Warning No Longer In Force? This means no further flooding is currently expected in your area. However, be careful, Flood water may still be around for several days.
Visit the Environment Agency Website for more details and tips on what to do.

Environment Agency Floodline
0345 988 1188

Sandbanks Ferry

Due to the adverse weather the Sandbanks chain ferry is currently suspended


This is at 18.28


UPDATE - 19.26 - Ferry is running again at the moment

Happy New Year - 2016

Happy New Year .........

Goodbye 2015 hello 2016

Suffering a bit this morning , why not take a walk?







Remember to check the tides, so you don't get get off.





Keep an eye on the weather.






Observe Safety sigs and keep away from the edge of the cliffs

But do enjoy yourself and welcome in 2016

#coastguard 999