Kite Surfing

We had a bumper turnout for training last week. The reason: we were told that it was a kite surfing session. Only mild disappointment then that it was a presentation, rather than a chance to get wet.

To be fair, the presentation was very good, and I'm not just saying that because it was delivered by Tom, our colleague from the Ops Room (MRCC Portland). Tom's also a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer himself (ie. when he's not being a full time coastguard), and he's also pretty good at kite surfing, being a BKSA qualified instructor, which brings us back to the subject.

The talk discussed the kinds of difficulties kite surfers are likely to face and what we as Coastguard Rescue Officers should do if we are tasked to a kite surfing incident, particularly how to bring the kite under control and how to prevent it from taking off again unexpectedly (no....no knives involved!) Matt and Darren from the lifeboat crew came along as this knowledge is useful to the RNLI too.

Afterwards we went outside to practice stopping a runaway kite and turning it upside down and into the wind to prevent it from flying away again, and I can honestly say there are no photographs anywhere of the Station Officer wrestling the kite and the kite winning. No, seriously, there aren't. Are there?

By the way, that 10 square metre kite behind Tom in the photo is worth about £1000, and if you want to know whose hand is just creeping into the shot far right, look here. The hand is probably worth about £30.

Thanks to Tom, not only for a thoroughly useful and enjoyable evening, but also for writing us a manual to keep on station so we don't have to pretend to remember everything he said.

Call the Coastguard

Disappointing to read Deputy Blog’s post about the kite surfer yesterday. Particularly as I was with my family near the Lifeboat station as the alarm was raised, and we watched as the crewmen arrived, launched the boat and headed off towards Studland. Across town, I knew that the same would be going on at the Coastguard station – the IRT would be on site, taking details of the emergency and getting the MRU out of the garage and on the road. Through my pager I heard the lifeboat exchanging details with Portland, and then our own ‘Swanage Mobile’ also on-line, and it made me feel proud to belong to this dedicated band of volunteers.

I wasn’t there, so I don’t know. But, if several members of the public all called the coastguard, then I think the kite surfer really was in difficulty – even if he didn’t recognise it himself, so despite his reaction well done to them for calling. And well done to the lifeboat chaps and the IRT for responding.

As always, the message is If you are in distress, or if you see someone in difficulty, or who even appears to be in difficulty at sea and around our coastline, DIAL 999 and ask for the COASTGUARD.

Kite Surfer

This afternoon Portland Coastguard MRCC took several separate 999 calls from members of the public concerned for the safety of a kite surfer at Knoll Beach, Studland who had got into difficulties.

The IRT was tasked at 16:03 to attend. A passing dinghy provided assistance until Swanage ILB were able to come alongside in an attempt to secure the casualty and take him to shore. The casualty stated that he was not in danger and refused assistance from the RNLI and refused to give details to the HM Coastguard team claiming that Britain was a 'nanny state', and that we had wasted time and money, and that there was recession.......

The assessment from the experienced lifeboat crew was that the kite surfer, who was surfing alone, was in serious difficulty and did require immediate assistance. It would appear that the chap was supremely overconfident in his own kite surfing ability and did not appreciate the danger that he was in.

The lifeboat crew and the coastguard team left the chap to consider whether his behavior and demeanor was appropriate given we are voluntary emergency workers; who in the case of the RNLI crew, had put themselves  in harms way in order to assist.

On the way back to the station a 'giggle' of kids playing on the beach gave us a wave and a 'Hello Mr Coastmen', which made it a worthwhile trip after all! Never been called that before!