Big tide at Studland

Today's big tide at Studland this morning.



#999Coastguard

Dinghy update

No further information has been received today regarding the dinghy found off Old Harry Rocks.

No one has been reported missing.

Enquiries will continue to discover how the dinghy was moved into the water.

Can you help?

Throughout the day the Coastguard team have been making enquiries into the dinghy found off Old Harry Rocks this morning.




We know it came from the sailing club at Swanage and is used by members at the club.
It can be seen on CCTV at nightfall on Saturday 25th but was missing at day break on Sunday 26th.

No one has been reported missing to either the Police or UK Coastguard.

The dinghy would have had to be moved and with the personal items located in the dinghy the Coastguard wants to ensure no one fell overboard.

This afternoon the Coastguard checked beaches along with Rescue 106.

If anyone has any information to how the dinghy got in the water please contact the Coastguard.

We just want to may sure no one is missing and bring a mystery to a close.

Please call 999 Coastguard with any information relating to this incident

Early start

The team had an early call on a Sunday for a dinghy found off Old Harry.

A local boat towed it back to Swanage where enquiries began who the owner was.

With a concern that someone may have been in the boat , Swanage RNLI ILB launched to take it off a mooring and bring it ashore.





Currently enquires are on going to how it ended off Old Harry.

Finally back to business

So finally it was back to proper business of accident prevention and search and rescue.

It wasn't long before the team monitored a double kayak off Knoll Beach struggling in the strong off shore wind.
Thankfully the two males made it ashore safely but we offered some advice as they had no means of raising assistance if they got in trouble.

Heading back to Swanage the team then came across a broken down car in a dangerous location.
The car was being pushed to a safer location and not wishing to leave the occupants including a baby the team took them then home to allow the car to be recovered later.

#helpingthecommunity

Where have we gone?

We can only apologise for the lack of blogs in the last couple of weeks .

Far from being quite the volunteers are actually really busy.

As with many teams in the UK at present there is a massive amount of work being done on stations.

The Station Officer and Deputy attended an Army engagement event at Bovington last night and flew the Coastguard flag.

Kerry represented the team today at the Beach Management meeting in Swanage and all this around the team members day jobs.

We can assure readers that the team is operational and normal blogs will return very soon.

Time and Tide waits for no man

We often get asked for advice around the tides and if you can walk to certain places at low tide.

We would never recommend anyone to walk anywhere that is covered by water. The main reason is that we can never guarantee what the tide and more importantly the conditions will do.

Wind, high or low pressures and weather all have an affect on the tides. Add in slippery rocks and no escape route and its a possible invite to meet your local coastguard team.

It may be an adventure , don't put yourself or others in danger stay to normal footpaths and observe safety signs.

#999 Coastguard

Another weight off our minds

So another task the teams have been asked to carry out is to have the vehicles weighed.

So off we went to our local weigh-bridge to ensure we aren't over weight ( the vehicle not the volunteers)

Thanks to the staff of Ideal Skip Hire who must have been kept amused by a couple of volunteer Coastguards weighing themselves as well as the vehicle.







#itsnotjustSAR

Flying Visit

The CG rescue helicopter from Lee On Solent visited Swanage yesterday in order to give the lifeboat crew a chance to look through it and to  understand the medical and lifesaving equipment it carries.

Just as we work closely with the lifeboats, so does the helicopter but because of the nature of the incidents there's never time to stop and talk. Hence a visit such as yesterday's where there's no casualty and no urgency is invaluable.

 

The Coastguard volunteers first  prepared the Peveril Point landing site and gave the all clear for the helicopter to land, and whilst the lifeboat crew looked round the helicopter, the team chatted to the flight crew - which usually consists of a minimum of a pilot and co-pilot, a paramedic winchman and a winch operator.
 

 

Afterwards there was time for a quick photo with the crew before they headed back to Hampshire.
 

Behind the Scenes

Being a member of the Coastguard Rescue Service isn't just about being on the front line in searches and rescues - there's a lot goes on behind the scenes too.

We often show you pictures of our training sessions and kit nights and these happen regularly every month.  But we rarely mention the record keeping and audit trail that goes with every piece of kit we use, with every training session we undertake, with every rescue we perform and indeed with every visit we make to the station.

To ensure uniformity and traceability right across the country, all record keeping must be to the same spec - on the correct forms, with the correct issue number and correct branding, all entries in the station log must show precise details and be written in the correct colour pen - red, green, blue or black - according to the rank of the writer and/or the nature of entry  (routine visit or a SAR tasking).
The equipment manifests must show the serial numbers of every piece of equipment we carry as well as dates of issue and life expectancy. The equipment is also listed on an Operational Readiness checklist which has to show exactly where each piece of equipment is kept  - and if it is in the vehicle, whereabouts in the vehicle (which box or bag number and location eg the Nearside or Offside of the luggage area).
Once checked, most of the rope rescue equipment is stowed in a secure bag; the bag has to be tied in a particular way with a particular knot and a security tag threaded through in a particlar way and initialed and dated. Water rescue equipment isn't bagged and tagged, but its location has to be recorded still in the Operational Readiness checklist.

The team has used this quieter time of the year to double check that we are following the national standard for record keeping; the volunteers have spent many many hours since the New Year checking data entries and pen colours, cross referencing dates, checking that documents have been printed on the correct issue paperwork within approved brand guidelines and generally having a Spring Clean of anything that doesn't fit with the nationally approved systems.

In addition to this behind the scenes admin, we've also managed to attend four incidents in that period - including a person over the cliff at Old Harry and a large multi agency search at Studland - as well as continued liaison with local stakeholders and agencies regarding the slip at Sheps Hollow, five training sessions and a kit check night.  Oh, and all go to our full time jobs in between times!

So yes - being part of the team is about Search and Rescue but there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes too.

A Tale of Two Ians

We were joined at training tonight by Ian Welsh, one of our CG colleagues from Kimmeridge who, along with our own Ian, has been rolling out some practical first aid sessions to the teams across the sector.

The scenarios we played out included the extraction of a casualty who had fallen through a roof and needed removing from under a pile of debris and a couple of individuals who had suddenly collapsed in a confined space and who were both unresponsive.

Thanks to Ian and Ian for running the session and to Sophie for being our casualty

Team requested to put signage up

The team headed out this afternoon to put warning signs up at Sheps Hollow.

There is a lot of considerations made before we put signage out along with discussions with partner agencies.

Too much signage and its ignored, no signage and people are put at risk.

Some years ago we rescued 3 people who had got stuck in mud flows and the cliff at Sheps Hollow could see the same situation.




The clay is very soft with a risk of people or small dogs getting stuck.


A fair amount could still come down , mixed with high tides can create very soft sand.


The beach remains open but with a warning that there could be areas of soft sand and clay.

Coastal emergencies - 999 Coastguard.

Active Slip

The recent weather has again causes some slips out at Sheps Hollow.

There is still a risk of being cut off by the tide further up from this location. Ensure you know what the tide is doing.

The slips are mostly soft clay so keep away and don't climb on them.

In a coastal emergency 999 Coastguard.

Birdies

The highlight of today's patrol was out at studland to watch the starlings in action.










Just how many are there ?

Thank you

Last week at the annual National Coastwatch dinner we made a presentation to the 'Saturday watch' for their involvement during an incident last year.

The incident saw the watch keepers dealing with a tragic incident when someone fell from cliffs at Peveril Point.

In the early stages , until the Coastguard and other emergency services arrived the NCI watch keepers went beyond their normal duties in assisting the services.

We felt that service should be acknowledged and presented a letter of thanks.




A personal thank you from the Station Officer to the ' Saturday Watch' today as not all could attend the original presentation.

Well Done Kerry

The team would would like to congratulate Kerry for becoming the first female ERCA master trainer for traditional rope courses.

After a selection process which included an interview over in Germany, Kerry was selected for this highly sought after position.

ERCA is the European Ropes Course association , which includes trainers , builders and inspectors of rope courses.

There aren't many master trainers positions in the UK and the skills Kerry uses in her industry help us in the Coastguard to train and maintain our equipment to the high standards set out by the Coastguard Service.

Master trainers , train and assess trainers who then go into the rope course industry to train instructors.

In December Kerry was one of the cliff technicians who descended the cliff three times to recover three of the five climbers who were stuck at Guillemot Ledge.

Flood Warning Issued

A Flood Alert has been issued by the Environment Agency for East Coast of Dorset.

Flooding is possible for Castletown, Weymouth, Preston Beach, Swanage Bay, Studland Bay, Sandbanks, Poole Harbour, Bournemouth Beach, Hengistbury Head and Christchurch Harbour Thursday morning and evening and into Friday morning.

Low lying coastal land and roads will be affected first.

Be prepared.



This flood alert effects the whole of the East Coast of Dorset from Portland Bill to Christchurch for both high tides on Thursday 02/02/2017 starting at Portland at 10:00 am and moving along the coast to Christchurch by 04:45 pm GMT. The second high water for Thursday into Friday starts at 10:00 pm at Portland moving along the coast to Christchurch by 03:00 am GMT on Friday 03/02/2017.

The forecast wind direction is veering from South Easterly to South Westerly through the day with gusts up to 60 mph, Force 8. The peak of the winds will be early to mid afternoon.

Expect spray overtopping the beaches and flooding to low lying areas. Please avoid exposed coastal areas.




Stay tuned to radio weather, news and travel bulletins on Heart Solent, BBC Radio Solent, Wave 105, Wessex FM and The Bay.

- Be prepared to protect yourself and your property.

- Keep your colleagues informed about the situation.

- Be careful along beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads.

- Avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.

- Farmers should consider moving livestock and equipment away from areas likely to flood.

- Keep an eye on local water levels and weather conditions. Visit the Environment Agency website www.gov.uk/environment-agency for river level and flooding information.

- Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 using quickdial 04532 for up-to-date flooding information.