Welcome To

 The Information Pages Of Coastwatch Redcar

  Watching over you......in the sea.....on the sea......by the sea............

Introduction  

Coastwatch Redcar is one of an independent group of coastal watch stations within the Sea Safety Group, an international non-government organisation whose headquarters are in the UK .  These coastal surveillance stations assist HM Coastguard in their task of helping people in trouble and saving lives at sea.  

Coastwatch is a volunteer organisation and stations are supported entirely by charitable donations from the community, which are totally used locally to fund activities and maintain their building..  Donations should be sent to the Honorary Secretary by completing the attached ‘Gift Aid’ form

History  

The station opened on 31 October 1996 and occupies the top two floors of the building known as the ‘ Zetland Lifeboat Museum ’.  The building was originally built in 1877 as a RNLI lifeboat station and later became a museum and HM Coastguard station.  It was vacated by HM Coastguard in 1990.  The property is now owned by the Redcar & Cleveland council, a Unitary authority, who have kindly permitted its use as a museum and Coastwatch facility.

Location  

At 54⁰ 37’.1N    001⁰ 03’.7W  the ‘Lookout’, as it is affectionately referred to locally, is a watchtower located on The Esplanade in Redcar which itself is 3.5 miles south of the River Tees estuary.  During the late 19^th century until the mid-20^th century Redcar was a popular seaside resort sharing 9 miles of golden beaches, from the South Gare lighthouse (Tees estuary) in the north west to the Huntcliffe cliffs to the south east, with the small towns of Marske and Saltburn-by-the-Sea.  

Teesport, on the lower reaches of the River Tees, is the 2^nd largest port in tonnage terms in the UK .  It is one of the top ten European ports and is presently preparing a planning application to expand its facilities so as to process an extra 1.5 million teu containers (20 feet equivalent units).  The aim, with the port being centrally placed on the east coast of the UK , is to reduce the need for road transportation of goods from the south coast of England to the north of England and Scotland .  

It is not unusual to have 12 – 16 ships in Tees Bay , within five miles of the shoreline; either at anchor or leaving/approaching the River Tees entrance.  When weather conditions are reasonable small fishing boats, small speed boats, windsurfers, kite-boarders, and PWC’s are also afloat, together with the occasional yacht sailing between Hartlepool Marina and Whitby .

Organisation  

Coastwatch Redcar, as part of the Sea Safety Group (registered charity no. 1074624), is organised by a group of volunteers, mainly from amongst those who have retired from work and have time to commit themselves to the cause.  

The core watch period is 0800 – 1600hrs each day of the year, with some extra staffing during daylight evenings if volunteers are willing to do so.  The aim is to provide cover during daylight hours from 0800 – 2000hrs but this has not yet been achieved as the team only consists of 32 watchkeepers.  Watchkeepers normally work 4 hour shifts and in pairs for health and safety reasons.  They are not required to attend each week but regular appearances are appreciated and encouraged.

 Most watchkeepers hold the Short Range VHF/DSC marine radio operator’s certificate.  Some hold the Royal Yachting Association Yachtmaster qualification which includes examinations in seamanship, navigation, meteorology and the rules for avoiding collision at sea.  Fund-raising is currently in progress for the purchase of a replacement radar set as the present equipment will shortly come to the end of its working life.

The formal structure is:

Station Controller                                  Raymond Preston

Deputy Station Controller                       Trevor Smith

Honorary Secretary                               Hilary Finlay

Honorary Treasurer                               John Finlay

Webmaster                                      }    David Williams Navigation/Marine Radio Instructor}

Upon appointment, a recruit receives the necessary formal training and after reaching the required standard is appointed ‘Watchkeeper’.  Following further training and regular satisfactory attendance for watchkeeping duties, the Watchkeeper will be appointed to the position of ‘Senior Watchkeeper’.

 The only costs incurred by a volunteer are the initial purchase of a uniform when appointed a Watchkeeper, ie white shirt, black tie, black trousers, black ‘combat style’ pullover, and black shoes.  Travelling expenses are not paid.  

Benefits to the Public

¨      Coastwatch volunteers keep a visual watch on the stretch of shoreline visible from the ‘lookout’ and monitor all distress channels on VHF marine radio , reporting directly to HM Coastguard.  The prime objective is the safety of human lives in an emergency situation at sea.  Any incident is reported to HM Coastguard, Bridlington, who will immediately take control of the situation.  

¨      Using equipment called ‘Weather Wizard’, Coastwatch provide local weather reports to HM Coastguard, updated during the day.  In this way, HM Coastguard can provide up to the minute local weather reports to vessels along the coast.  Coastwatch also provide weather reports for people planning to visit the coast for leisure purposes, including windsurfers, kiteboarders, horse-riders, jet skiers, people wanting to go onto ‘Redcar Rocks’, fishermen, and other boaters.  All reports are supplemented by observation of the actual weather conditions..  

¨      Tide times for every day of the year are readily available for the Tees Bay and other parts of the north east coast of England , in particular Holy Island with its tidal causeway, Staithes, Runswick Bay , and Whitby which is a popular fossil collecting area.  

¨      An additional benefit to the public is that Coastwatch, from 15 metres above ground level, not only watch vessels at sea, but also watch over everyone who uses the beaches and The Esplanade to ensure their safety; occasionally becoming involved in searches from the ‘lookout’ for lost children and missing persons.   

¨      Coastwatch also play an informal community policing role by keeping close watch on seafront activities and by monitoring a radio connected to the radio s carried by security guards in the local shops.    

Hazards  

¨      A series of rocks from the beach to 1.2 miles offshore  known by the popular name ‘Redcar Rocks’ which are marked, for mariners, by a North Cardinal buoy ‘Salt Scar’.  These rocks need constant surveillance as both adults and children have access along an outfall pipe which covers quickly on a flood (in-coming) tide before it is obvious that the rocks are being covered.  Infrequently, a yacht or ship ventures too close and has to be warned by HM Coastguard using VHF marine radio , and also by Watchkeepers flashing Morse code ‘U’ in their direction (has the meaning ‘you are running into danger’).   Prior to modern navigation systems this locality was very dangerous to shipping.  

¨      The use of two nearby slipways, particularly during school holidays, by children and adults who play ‘chicken’ and 'dodge the wash' from breaking waves.  Occasionally, people are washed into the sea resulting in serious consequences.  

¨      To the north west of the ‘lookout’, and unfortunately partially obscured by sea-front buildings, is Majuba Beach which has become very popular with windsurfers and kiteboarders.  It is also used as an access point for horse riders.  This beach and its activities have now become the area where there is the most likelihood of incidents occurring due to an inability to return safely to the shore if the wind strength falls or tiredness occurs.  

¨      In front of the ‘lookout’ local fishermen launch and recover their boats using old agricultural tractors and are recorded leaving or returning to the shore.  They are aware of the hazards but, occasionally, recreational boat users with little idea of launching and recovery procedures arrive in a variety of vehicles.  They need extra attention to ensure any difficulties encountered do not become serious.  Jet-skiing occurs in this area at weekends but is not a problem.  

¨      Some bathing does occur but it is not popular due to the coldness of the North Sea .  Local Authority Lifeguards patrol a small section of the beach near to the ‘lookout’ during the school summer holiday period.    

Incidents  

An official log book is used to record all incidents of interest which come to the Watchkeepers attention.  It is surprising that most incidents which are reported by Watchkeepers, through observation, to HM Coastguard are not reported by the public at large, even in this era of mobile telephones.   

Table 1 shows how active the station has been since opening on 31 October 1996 :  

Watchkeepers must remain in the ‘lookout’ during incidents so that they are in VHF radio and telephone contact with the controlling authority, eg HM Coastguard or local police.  Under no circumstances do they patrol the beach or The Esplanade.  

 Table 1: Showing incidents recorded, number reported to HMCG, number reported that were potentially life threatening/likely to cause serious damage, incidents monitored but not reported to CG, reports to other agencies, eg Police, RSPCA, and No. of requests for assistance received from HMCG or RNLI.  

  *1996 only covers 31 October – 31 December.  2007 - up to 31st October  

   ** up to the 30th June 2008

Forthcoming events  

2008  

  September 3rd               Merchant Navy Association - Memorial Service

  September 7th               Merchant Navy Association - Veterans' Parade

2009

   April 8th                        Annual General Meeting

Links – other organisations  

Formal links have been established with:  

¨      HM Coastguard who have given Coastwatch Redcar ‘Declared Facility Status’ which is an acknowledgement that the facilities and volunteers have achieved a satisfactory and reliable standard in their day to day operations.  

¨      Maritime & Coastguard Agency }  

¨      PD Teesport                            }   A signed Memorandum of Understanding

¨      HM Revenue & Customs            }

Local staff from the RNLI and HM Coastguard are regular visitors.  

Contact  

All correspondence, including enquiries regarding recruitment, should be addressed to the Honorary Secretary at:  

Coastwatch Redcar

60A The Esplanade

Redcar  

TS10 3AH                                         Tel: 01642 – 49 16 06  

The Webmaster may be contacted at the following address, and is willing to forward messages to other members of the organisation: 

  davidwilliamsafrin@yahoo.co.uk     

or    

redcarcoastwatch@yahoo.co.uk

A lady Senior Watchkeeper is available to give a talk to interested organisations.

Last updated:   10th July 2008