Welcome To
Redcar Coastwatch
540 37’.1N 0010 03’.7W
A view to the north east of the Coastwatch tower at Redcar taken at high water
A view to the north west with Hartlepool in the background.
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..
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.
A 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 19th century until the mid-20th 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 2nd 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 .
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 26 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.
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
The Station Telephone Number is 01642-491606