Social Media Day

This is our entry for today's national social media day - even the SCOO ( spot the white helmet in the back ground!) managed to muscle in on the photo

Missing Climber - statement from Dorset Police

Dorset Police have just issued the following statement.


A body found in the water off St Alban’s Head near Swanage yesterday, Tuesday 28 June 2016, has been officially identified by HM Coroner as that of 26-year-old Liam Day from Southampton.

The next of kin have been informed. An inquest will be opened in due course following a post mortem examination. The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Liam had failed to return home as expected following a climbing trip to the Swanage area and was reported missing on Wednesday 15 June 2016.

Update - search for missing climber

At 12.27 on Tuesday 28th June 2016 Dorset Police were informed of a person in the water off St Albans Head.

The body of a male was recovered by the RNLI from Swanage.

Identification has not yet taken place but the family of a 26 year old man from Southampton who had failed to return home following a climbing trip to Swanage have been informed of the incident.

Our thoughts go to family and friends.

Peveril Point landing site

Peveril Point temporarily became the busiest landing site in Dorset this afternoon during the airlifting of an injured worker from the boat park.

Rescue 106 was dealing with an incident off Winspit when tasked along with the Air Ambulance to assist a male who had fallen.

The male had been treated by some RNLI crew before being joined by the Coastguard team.




Dorset's air ambulance on the pad


Lifting off with the casualty on board



Rescue 106 landing to pick up the winch man

Studland slip watch

A walk about in Studland found this today.




A project by the National Trust to record coastal errosion. You place your camera / phone in the gap to get the same angle.


And this is the result - let's see what it looks like in 6 months

Armed Forces Day

Nick and Ian supported Armed Forces Day last night attending a function at a local hotel. #saluteourforces





Nick and Ian with local Frank Roberts , retired from the forces but huge supporter of Armed Forces Day ( he puts the flags up round the town for example )

Treat cliffs with respect

Cliffs aren't the place to walk or take short cuts.




Don't take risks - stay off and use proper foot paths


The views maybe stunning but never take risks


Or you may just find the volunteer rescue teams joining you.

999 Coastguard - stay safe

Lifeguards and Coastguard in joint training

The team went water rescue training last night with the lifeguards on Swanage Beach. A great exercise to understand each others capabilities.

The lifeguard posted this today - Thank You to Swanage Coastguard for a successful and productive first joint exercise yesterday evening. We look forward to working closely with you this summer.

@Maritime and Coastguard Agency @RNLI
#lifeguards #hmcoastguard #swanageCRT #waterrescue #training #workingtogether #respectthewater

When would you call the Coastguard

Emergency at sea or on the coast - call the Coastguard

Even if you think someone is in trouble - call.

HM Coastguard coordinates maritime search and rescue

Some more cliff photos

A few more images from last weeks cliff training.




Cliff top set up on top of Ballard


Cliff edge signalling to the team behind.


The cliff technician descending the cliff.


Coastguards enjoying themselves !

Those who served

Another little project completed at the station this week , a list of every volunteer who has served in Swanage Coastguard since 1883.

There are over 200 people who have served over the years and all their names are in 5 frames in the entrance way.

They Don't Grow on Trees....or do they?

This is Barney and his son Reuben from Andover who were out in Studland on Saturday when they spotted what looked like a bomb in a tree and contacted the Coastguard, although by the time of this photograph the ordnance, dating from WWII, had been declared safe.

Once the ordnance had been declared safe, the family pose for a quick photo before the item was returned to the EOD team for removal and disposal. 

The heavily corroded item was found lodged in the branches of a silver birch tree on the harbour side of the Ferry Road in Studland and so, having cordoned off the area, police and Coastguard called the Army bomb disposal experts for advice.  The Army EOD team suspected the device could still be explosive and set off from their base in Wiltshire. 

The Coastguard Team assisted with implementing and maintaining a safe cordon

On their arrival, the device was X-Rayed and analysed whereupon it was found to be solid inside rather than liquid.  It was confirmed to be safe and removed from the site by road.  It is believed the item was an armour piercing solid shot, although quite what would have fired it or left it there is unknown.  Had it been highly explosive, the intention was to bury it and detonate it on the beach, and the further team members would have been paged to 'sweep' the beach and keep it free of people.


Declared safe by the Army EOD team, this ordnance never contained explosives.

We ran some blogs on ordnance only a few weeks ago, and this is typical of the many pieces of ordnance to be found in and around Studland.



 

The armour piercing shot was lodged several feet up in a tree

So how did it get in the tree?  Good question, and the only logical answer is that someone must have picked it up and put it there.  The tree certainly wasn't there 70 years ago for it to land in!

Was that a good idea?  Not really.  Whoever picked it up couldn't have been sure what it was and disturbing it could have set it off. 

What should have happened?  Whenever you find ordnance, or something you suspect to be ordnance in and around the beach or coast area, 999 Coastguard.   (If you find ordnance further inland call 999 Police.  And if you cant decide who to ask for, call 999 anyway and describe what you have found).  Stand well clear and wait for further instruction.

Once the item had been removed, the road and ferry which were closed for about 3 hours were reopened.

Ferry Road Reopens

19.20 - Ferry Road has now reopened following this afternoons incident.

A further report on the incident will follow soon.

Ferry Road Closed

The team is currently dealing with an incident in Studland.

Ferry Road and the chain ferry are both currently closed.

(5.00pm Saturday)

Nice One

Early start today to get the last 3 numbers painted on the gyones before too many people were about.



So that's the beach "zoned" from 1 to 18 with numbers at the top by the sea wall and about half way down.


Emergency on the beach - 999 Coastguard

Half Way

This is the view our cliff technician got when we trained at the highest point of Ballard earlier in the week.

This is about half way down. Or up, whichever way you look at it.

Missing Climber - Liam Day

The volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers from Swanage carried out a detailed patrol today at Low water for missing Liam Day.

Liam was climbing to the west of Anvil Point on Tuesday and was reported overdue. Coastguards from both Swanage and St Albans , along with both Swanage Lifeboats , Dorset Police and DorSAR searched over night and into yesterday without success.

HM Coastguard has suspended the search however the team will continue to check local areas when the tide and weather allow.

If anyone saw Liam climbing on Tuesday near to the Western Mile Markers please contact Dorset Police (101) or the Coastguard (01305 760439)

We ask people not to put themselves at any risk along the coast and to call 999 Coastguard in an emergency.

Further tasking of possible Lifejacket in the water off Peveril

As the team were finishing cleaning up from this mornings search, Swanage Lifeboat was launched to a report of a Lifejacket in the water off Peveril Point

Joined by Rescue 106 and the Police helicopter a search was commenced. The team deployed to Peveril Point and Durlston Head but nothing further has been seen by any search asset.

The lifeboat is continuing on the search but all others have been stood down.

Major Search For Missing Climber

Coastguard teams from Swanage and St Albans , RNLI lifeboats from Swanage , Rescue helicopter 104 , Dorset Police and DorSar have searched overnight for a missing climber.

The climber was reported overdue between Anvil Point and Dancing Ledge.

A large land and sea search has been carried out which located a rope and personal items belonging to the climber.

At 08.00 the search has been suspended and units returned to station.

Swanage, St Albans and Poole join for training

Last nights exercise saw three teams join up to practise cliff work on our highest cliff which is Ballard.




The Poole team discover cows ( don't have them over the water !)



Under the watchful eye of St Albans Alpha


Terry putting his training the other day into good use.




Then it was all back to the station as someone else had a birthday !

I made a promise

On the 7th October 2004 , I made a promise that following the death of
Mike 'Spike' Williamson he would be remembered and some good would come out of this sad event.

Spike passed away following a heart attack and that promise was to provide a defibrillator for the town.





We did manage to provide two devices for the town back in 2012 however by working with some like minded people that promise really became true yesterday when the new heated cabinet went live.

Having a heated cabinet ensures the safe operation for the device kept inside.

Yesterday South Western Ambulance confirmed the cabinet had been registered and went live.




The device and cabinet have been provided by private donations to a community partnership , the Coastguard building is ideally located in North Swanage to have this device.

The partnership would like to thank the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for their support in allowing this cabinet to be located at this location.

The cabinet is dedicated to Mike ' Spike ' Williamson

It's important to note that in a Medical emergency , a 999 call to the ambulance service is required to get the release code to the cabinet and get an ambulance on route.

Royal Navy in action off Anvil Point

HMS Severn (P282) currently off Anvil Point


Heading at speed towards the Anvil Point Light house .





Heading west maybe on speed trials or patrolling.

Sinking Jet-ski

The team were tasked last night to a jet ski which had broken down off Old Harry and which was starting to sink.

The rider who had been in the sea for approximately 30 minutes attracted the attention of a group of picnickers on the top of the cliff who called for help.

Swanage ILB was launched and the coastguard team monitored the rescue from above as well as checking the welfare of the picnickers who were potentially distressed at what they had seen.

The ILB crew tried to tow the jet ski back to its hire base in Salterns Marina in Poole but it was steadily taking on water and so a decision was made to take it into Knoll Beach where it and it's rider were handed over to the care of the coastguard team.  Whilst we looked after the rider and got him warmed up, we also liaised with the owners, arranged for them to collect the jet ski from the beach and oversaw the removal operation.

Sadly, it appears the jet ski rider was equipped with a VHF radio, but didn't know how to use it in an emergency. Fortunately for him that the picnickers managed to spot him before it was too late.

A view to Old Harry

Looking from middle beach cafe towards Old Harry.

Remember to keep dogs on leads near cliff edges

Purbeck Arts Festival

The Purbeck Art Festival is currently on so the team have got their paint brushes out and got on with a project.



To assist the team and the public of where they are on the beach the wooden gyones are numbered.

The numbers have recently worn down so we are in the process of repainting them - the Town Council kindly supply the paint and stencils and the Coastguard team provide the man power.


Subject to the rumours the Station Officer was not painting his initials on.

The first numbered gyone should be number 3 as during  the beach recharge number one was removed as not required , number two is the banjo jetty by the clock tower, however to keep things simple we have numbered them 1 to 18

Sheps hollow is number 18.

There are few more to do but hopefully we can finish the repaint soon.

We don't just volunteer at the weekend

Being volunteers we have to work around our day jobs and of course home life.

So yesterday a few of the team got together for a mornings training session rather than the usual evening training we have.




Kerry putting Terry through some rope training.

Thankfully there were benefits to the day time training session

36 Rescued in Kent

A lucky escape for 34 young persons and two leaders in Kent, and well done to the local Coastguard teams, lifeboat crews, helicopter pilots and co-ordination centre.  A job well done.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-36466422

We Shall Remember Them

Tonight the team joined veterans and the public at the war memorial in Swanage.

72 years ago today many gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy as part of Operation Overlord.

A small service of remembrance led by Rev. Tony Higgins saw those present pause to remember.

Members of the rowing club lifted their oars in respect during the two minute silence which also saw the Coastguard helicopter fly past on route back to Portland.







Thank you to Nico, Dinah and those who turned up to make is so special

Small craft aground

Yesterday's patrol were concerned for a small craft aground at Middle beach Studland.




Returning later the patrol confirmed all was well and the craft had re floated safely and gone on its way.

Terry Bear

Today the Staff at the Tourist Information Centre are holding their annual beach awareness day.

The patrol will visit this afternoon but they also needed a volunteer to fit the Swanage Beach Bear outfit. Sadly at the last minute the original bear suit didn't arrive so a substitute was found.

So off into action




I wonder who bear is ?


Beach bear meets Carlo


Beach bear meets the lifeguards


Living the dream



Oh look - it was Terry all along

# being a Coastguard , it's not all rescue work !

Wrist bands and safety advice given out

999 Coastguard

It's all in the preparation

Terry yet again washing the truck.

Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard

Someone had a birthday

Someone thought they had got away with having a birthday and not telling us ..... Wrong !

Last night during kit night the team marked the occasion in style.

Oh and another wildlife photo - a chocolate caterpillar!!