Hey Look its Rid

Poole Coastguard (appear to have found a wolf)

There I was checking out the Poole Coastguard website and there is "our" Rid proudly holding his new radio. Nice to see you carry on the smart standards you were taught .

Poole Coastguard joins the network

Our colleagues to the north have set up a new web site to promote their work.

Poole Coastguard cover from Bournemouth Pier to Keysworth farm near Wareham.

One of the big differences between Poole and Swanage is they are a mud team along with the many calls they get to man the landing site for the helicopter.

Check out their site and look forward to seeing "Rid" arrive to continue his Coastguard career over the water.

That call out map looks very familiar?

The transfer market

The football transfer market is not the only "market" closing today.

After many months of official talks and a medical we have "Sold " Richard Curtis (aka Rid) to the Poole team. I regret to say the final fee remains a closely guarded secret but it did involve biscuits.

Four and a half years after joining, Rid is moving beyond them hills and with a very heavy heart we had to let him go. The good news is that he is allowed to stay in the Coastguard and will transfer to the Poole team and continue his service over the water.

Life over the Poole side is a little different to Swanage, they do not have many cliffs but plenty of mud. So on behalf of the team, thanks Rid and good luck with the move. We will miss your energy and enthusiasm. Who are we going to have to do all the running?

Rid's Turn

At the last training session, after we managed to get Austen out of the dry suit (no easy task!) up stepped Rid for a go and equally his enthusiasm got the better of him!

Mensa Candidates

To prove we do actually train and not just blog about it, here's the evidence from last night.

But with the brains of the team missing, the new rescue strop almost got the better of us:

But then the boss found the instructions, and we were back in control:

Still, better to practice and get any issues out of the way on a training night so that when the equipment is used for real we get it right. First time. And every time.

End of an era

It was a very sad day on Thursday......Rid's last day at the Middle Beach Cafe at Studland.

Rid finally reached that time in his life when the "summer job" is no longer enough and the big step into the big working work was required.

So good luck Rid (fear not he's not leaving the Coastguard just yet!)

And a very big "good luck for today" as Rid will be running the Swanage 12 road race (along with his Mum, Claire aka Mrs T)

Uniform order

Every year we can order a selection of uniform, July is our month so I asked who wanted what, it was going OK until we got to Rid.

"Rid whats your collar size.....?"

"Don't know"

"Shall we phone your mum?"

"Hold on" says Austen " we have a tape"

For some reason he did declined to measure his inside leg measurement!

Teenagers!

Teenagers these days!

Driving around the town on two wheels like a bunch of loons; drinking alcopops, wearing hoodies, smoking, swearing. Those were the days! No seriously it’s not all bad.

I spoke to my neighbour who was down from London for the weekend (I know she’s a second home owner but lets put that to one side). She is in her seventies and said that it was lovely to see a young man working so hard for his community. For a moment I thought she was talking about Austen working over at the station – and that I needed to put her straight on his age – but she meant young Rid, who was washing the vehicle. The comment made me proud of the both the team and especially Rid; the team for taking on a young chap and giving their time to train him and Rid for showing the commitment.

Rid (Richard) joined the team at 18 and after 18 months is a fully trained and valued member of the team. Rather than out on the town doing all the things he shouldn’t, Rid gives an awful amount of his time to the community and dealt with some major incidents last year. He’s always enthusiastic and willing to learn. As the neighbour said, it’s great to see a young person doing their bit for the town. Well done chap.

Oh, and thanks Rid for ‘arranging’ for us to get a new gate up at Peveril Point.

1st Job of the Year

A simple 'meet and greet' for CROs Curtis and Kitching down at the Lifeboat House.

A chap on board a charter fishing boat had some health problems. After talking to the Coastguard Doctor in Aberdeen he was bought to shore with assistance from Swanage Lifeboat and Swanage Coastguard. - Paramedic in attendance was our very own Terry Thompson.

Rid's not smiling, he's just cold.

(..and again neither of our new pagers went off!- mmm more on this another time)

Busy Sunday

Austen and Rid had a busy Sunday, they popped out on Sunday to meet Dorsar (Dorset Search and Rescue) at Studland as they were on an exercise, just as they returned, they got a call to attend Durlston Country park to a person who had slipped on ice and broken their ankle. Having arrived they then found a second person also injured so helped them to the Ambulance too!

Then at Midnight, Austen phoned me to say they had been called out (We like to share this vital information what ever time of the day) to a report of two people who failed to return from swimming at Dancing Ledge. With the area to search quite large, he was going to request the team if required however as time went on thankfully the pair were located safe and well in a local pub!!!!

A Puzzle ?

The other day a friend of mine was looking at my photos when they started to laugh at the picture below.

This is half the picture but contains the vital clue, can anyone spot what made my friend laugh so much?

Answer in a few days.

Carnival Arrives

Carnival arrives today and one of the1st event we are involved with is the 12 mile road race.

Well actually to be truthful our involvement in the road race is to stand and watch whilst out own Richard Curtis and Claire Thompson take part in the run.

Claire is wife to Terry Thompson and Mum to Richard so its a family event for the team and one we are supporting for a good cause.

There is a rumor that the full team will take part next year, (err 12 mile relay race not a full 12 miles run, have you seen us??)

Good luck to the pair today.