The NCI (National Coastwatch Institution) is a voluntary charity which assists in the protection and preservation of life at sea and around the UK coastline by providing what it calls eyes along the coast. Founded at Bass Point on the Lizard Cornwall in 1994, the organisation has now grown to 57 stations around the shores of the UK, manned by over 2600 volunteers. The newest of these stations NCI
St Donat’s Bay has just been launched on the 7th of May based in the grounds of the UWC Atlantic College at St Donats in the Vale of Glamorgan. The station itself will be manned by volunteers from the local community, College staff and students making it unique within the NCI. UWC Atlantic College, is no stranger to the world of search and rescue. In the 1960s the College was responsible for the design and development of the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB). The descendants of these prototype boats developed by the College are used to this day by the RNLI, who also named them Atlantic Class in recognition of the work done by staff and students. Up until 2013 the College was also the base for an RNLI Lifeboat and station again crewed by volunteers from the College and local community. The opening of the NCI station is just the latest chapter in the College’s history of life-saving related activities and fits nicely with its current plans to expand and develop its sea front area. With commanding views of St Donat’s Bay and the Bristol Channel, the NCI watchkeepers will be able to monitor a wide area. The station’s views take in the Wales Coast Path stretching across the cliffs to Llantwit Major and beyond, whilst to the south they can see the busy shipping lanes all framed by the North Somerset Coast some 10 miles across the water. Watchkeepers at the station will be monitoring all water-based and shoreline activities, reporting to HM Coastguard any potential concerns they see that could put people’s lives in danger, be it a vessel sinking or a faller along the rocky shoreline. The station is currently in training mode, running Friday to Sunday between 10.00am and 6.00pm, building up the necessary skill sets for it to become a declared asset to the Coastguard Coordination Centre based at Milford Haven. No previous maritime experience is required to become a watchkeeper. These skills include chartwork, tidal flows, Marine VHF communication, and how to react to potentially life-threatening situations at sea and along the coastline that will assist and speed up the response of the rescue services. The partnership with UWC Atlantic College will see students undertake training to be NCI cadets which will form part of their social service commitments, an important part of the International Baccalaureate. The cadets will undertake watches at the station alongside the NCI watch-keepers,
It is hoped that the cadet capability and training can involve recruits from the local community e.g. those who are working towards The Duke of Edinburgh’s, Queen’s Guide or Queen’s Scout Awards.
