16th Jan: NCI Incidents during 2024
At the NCI Stone Point station we often get asked how many incidents we have to deal with so I did a summary for the NCI Calshot “Blog”. The following is essentially a copy of that post:
The National Coastwatch stations at Calshot Tower and Stone Point only exist thanks to donations from members of the public, commercial firms, and charities. Running the stations requires a significant investment of time and effort from our Watchkeepers. So what did all this achieve during 2024?
For the two stations combined, during the year there were on average between 3 to 4 incidents each month; a total of 43 for the year. These were all cases serious enough for HM Coastguard to issue an incident number. They do not include the various occasions when the NCI station gave useful information to the coastguard; for example that capsized kayaks offshore were kayakers practicing self-rescue techniques and were not a cause for concern.
Of course the stations also performed many other activities. Coastal and Sea Safety information was provided at NCI Stone Point through Beach Walks, literature distribution, and presentations. In warmer months, people paddling or swimming at Lepe Spit were warned about the strong currents in that area. Watchkeepers represented NCI at various Volunteer and Charity Fairs.
Looking at the reported incidents during 2024 in more detail, the following table gives a summary of the different types of casualty involved:
Total | Calshot | Stone Point | |
No. of Incidents | 43 | 23 | 20 |
% Initiated by HMCG | 63% | 57% | 70% |
% Initiated by NCI | 37% | 43% | 30% |
% Involving Lifeboat | 60% | 74% | 45% |
Incident Type | |||
Engine problems | 19 | 11 | 8 |
% were Motor Boats | 68% | 73% | 63% |
Yacht Aground | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Wind or Kite Surfer | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Paddle Board | 8 | 3 | 5 |
% PB – FAWGI | 63% | 0% | 100% |
Person of Concern | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Table: Number and type of incidents in total and for the two stations separately. Where a percentage is given it refers to the number in a row above. Categories with larger numbers of an incident type are shown in bold. PB-FAWGI = Paddle Board incidents that were a False Alarm With Good Intent (see text).
A similar number of incidents were reported by both stations with only slightly more from Calshot Tower, which overlooks both Southampton Water and the central Solent, compared to Stone Point in Lepe Country Park, which views the western Solent.
For both stations, by far the largest class of incidents involved vessels with engine problems of one sort or another. This represented nearly half of the overall total with two-thirds of these incidents involving motor boats. In just over 40% of the incidents involving engine problems it was the Coastguard who called NCI asking the station for visual information, or to monitor the situation. In the rest of these breakdown incidents NCI informed the Coastguard that they had “Eyes on” a distress situation heard over the radio (as a “pan-pan” or “mayday”), or an incident detected visually by the station.
Of the four incidents involving wind surfers, only one proved a “false alarm with good intent” where a member of the public had phoned the Coastguard, but the NCI station was able to confirm that the wind surfer was safe. In contrast for paddleboarders, all of the 5 incidents at NCI Stone Point might be termed “false alarms” in that, despite concern from a member of public (and/or NCI), the paddle boarders eventually managed to return to shore unaided. In such incidents the station still performed an important role in confirming to the Coastguard that all were safe, and that an extended search by lifeboat or helicopter was not needed.
Two such “false alarms with good intent” involved the relatively new activity of “foil pumping”. In this sport a foil equipped paddle board is used to perform an extended sea passage, for example from Hurst Point to Calshot Castle, usually with the aid of strong winds and rough seas. The sight of a paddle boarder far off shore in poor visibility and strong winds can understandably cause concern amongst members of the public who dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. In such cases the NCI stations do indeed provide the “Eyes along the Coast”.