It’s been a busy day. I managed to run Arwen off the drive and onto the road so that I could scrub off all the black mould inside. It took an hour and a half! Now Arwen is gleaming once more. I discovered that the hatches leak slightly under the front thwart – this is probably because some water gathered in the cockpit for some time and because of the drive slope lay against the round hatch doors. Consequently it seeped through into the lockers. I also put in some netting across the front port thwart. It’s attached to bungee cord – the idea is I can store things on the thwart top behind the netting which will stop it being thrown about.
The new netted area; and one of the circular hatches that leaked
It was good working on the boat. She’s becoming ship shape again. There is a lot to do – I need to paint some scrapes; sand the mast and reseal it; I also want to get some folding oarlocks or rowlocks (which ever you prefer to call them) so that they fold down flat when not in use. I’ve a couple more days work sorting out equipment; re-rigging her – raising the sails etc and then we are ready. I can’t wait.
lifejackets scrubbed and hanging out to dry on a neighbour's wall
bits and pieces scattered across the drive
My neighbours are a tolerant and patient lot aren't they!
On a different matter...........
The public consultation about cuts to the coastguard is coming to an end soon I think. I said I wouldn’t comment but......hey so what! I’ve listened to people, read various stuff on Internet; spoken to a coastguard friend and I guess this is where I stand on the matter.
There is going to be a catastrophic loss of local knowledge and whilst senior coastguards can try and reassure us all that they have planned for that contingency – I think it is poppycock and wishful thinking on their part! There. Got that off my chest.
A huge body of opinion on the net – sailors, local people and local coastguard themselves all make the point that most calls to coastguard give positions in the form of local place names. With only three main centres for the whole coast (plus a couple of daylight stations only) – well the coastguard manning these stations are not going to know local places on my patch in the same way their Brixham colleagues would. Public opinion seems certain that there is potential for huge confusion over place names and there are a number of incidents in recent years where confusion has led to tragedy.
I feel very sorry for the many local coastguards who will be faced with either redeployment to one of these new super centres or the prospect of taking early retirement or worse, being made redundant. One forum was making the very valid point that many coastguards will opt for early retirement rather than displace their family’s long distances. All that local knowledge and expertise will be lost for a long time period.
Most MP’s in the SW are opposed to the cuts I think reading their views in the various newspapers and there do seem to be some silly issues surrounding these proposals. Falmouth going to daylight hours only is one – given the number of major incidents that have occurred at night in the last twenty years! I wonder if the senior MCA people think that night time means fewer risks?
If I understand my coastguard friend, the Coastguard manage entire SAR incidents, surveys on fishing vessels, emergency pollution response incidents, training of rescue teams, and in Falmouth’s case - co-ordinate rescues 1000kms offshore. He and other coastguard colleagues argue that coastguard colleagues at the ‘super centres’ will do their absolute best because they are professionals and proud of it. However, a major incident will show up the deficiencies – a lack of local knowledge will send RNLI to the wrong place. Think of how many places around the south west coast have the same place names and then think about visiting tourists – not many of them carry GPS to give latitude and longitude do they?
I saw a TV news report in which the chief coastguard inferred that local knowledge was not essential to the coastguard in order to carry out their daily work! That baffles me! My friend tells me that all coastguards are examined every two year – a substantial part of which is their ‘local knowledge’ tests.
I think there are some other issues that are critical to the debate – looking at what is being said on the net:
1. Won’t local knowledge be critical if CG have to deal with multiple incidents at the same time?
2. Is this the start of a call centre mentality at MCA...one coastguard raises the point about there being no postcodes for sandbars, beaches, cliffs etc and so callers will use local place names to pinpoint the emergency.
3. Will the loss of local knowledge from MCA coastguard fill the public with the same degree of confidence which the agency commands now?
4. What will the workload be like at these new centres? I know in the past coastguard stations next to each other on my patch have both had to deal with 10 – 20 incidents each simultaneously at the height of the summer! Can one super centre do this and still take on what will come from other areas of the coast under their watch? Unlikely I suspect.
5. One coastguard made this point on the net
“We are all aware that technology has greatly improved in recent years. Technology which allows us to prosecute SAR more swiftly and effectively. Equipment such as GPS (Global Positioning System), EPIRB’s (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite), SART (Search And Rescue Transponder), DSC (Digital Selective Calling) and even AIS (Automatic Identification System), to name but a few, This is the type of equipment that has to be carried by vessels over 300 gross tonnes and dependant on which area they operate. In other words, equipment more relevant to the commercial sector. This technology requires little local knowledge for us to come to a successful conclusion in a SAR scenario. However, the bread and butter of all our MRCC’s (Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre) involves the leisure industry, which do not have to conform to the above regulations. 90% of our workload deals with the pleasure craft industry and families flocking to our coasts in their 1000’s. People enjoying our inshore waters, beaches, cliffs and coastal walks. This, the main vein of service we so proudly provide, is where local knowledge is VITAL ! Enabling us to ensure, that there are no delays in us conducting an effective and successful SAR service”.
6. Under this new system being proposed the coastguard at the new supercentres will use a database to identify the nearest available rescue asset which apart from helicopters, will be a volunteer. This person will then use their local knowledge to co-ordinate the rescue. With no disrespect to local volunteers – it strikes me this is a big ask! Will they want this responsibility – has anyone asked them yet? What happens if the wrong volunteer team is called – that will lead to another delay as a new volunteer team are called and put on alert.
7. This is in the name of cost savings but as one person on the net dryly observed – the same was done to the Devon and Somerset fire brigade – a big new regional fire control centre at Taunton which failed, was never actually opened and fully functioning and cost the taxpayer £400 million. The MCA are suggesting the same thing – co-ordinate centrally, scrap smaller centres – dur!
Look I could go on – there are loads of sensible points being made against the proposals and frankly very little valid argument in support of it. It will be interesting to see what happens – is it a ‘
done deal’ already or is this
genuine consultation?
Steve
