The day long assessment was over both of  the shifts on the day, so WELL DONE!

Praise going to the Shift members on the day namely: Gordon Leesley, Cedric Leek, Stuart Edson,Les Tietjen, Malcolm Drewery and of course not forgetting Tony Mee our Station Manager who apparently provided the assessors with a fine luncheon, Not that swayed anything….. Tony Mee said afterwards that both Duty Teams were the representatives of us all and we can be proud of the hard work put into DFS by all team members alike, somuch so the Assessors did not have any recommendations for future work, just to keep watching to our very high standard!

Ian Hulse is due to receive the DFS Certicate at the Annual General Meeting of National Coastwatch in London, later this month.

WELL DONE TEAM MABLETHORPE another milestone passed, and we still have the ongoing Radio target to maintain all Radio Classes so far have led to 100% pass rate.

The Election of Station Manager ( A three year term) and  Team Treasurer ( a One year term) was held. Both, Mr Tony Mee and Mrs Linda Hulse being returned unanimously, and  both gave thanks to the team for their continued support.

Mike Newbold,  National Coastwatch Institution Trustee was in attendance, and gave a message of  praise to the exceedingly good demeanour of the team and also praised the Information Statistics that were produced for this individual team, 365 duty days, 6664 man hours of watching! not including hours for Presentations, Administration and all the Back Office works.  A team exceeding 40 plus members and supporters,  and he also wished the team every success with the up and coming assessment for Declared Facility Status.

The Annual General Meeting was closed by the Chairman, Harry Innocent at 18:45 with him giving thanks to all the interested parties who attend, the team then gathered for their usual monthly team meeting.

The crew stepped back when they saw the object was an unexploded Parachute Flare primed and ready for ignition, so very gingerly they advised the member of the public to place it down on the floor away from the Station and then they explained the error and personal danger that they had been in!

HMCG were contacted and they tasked the local Police to safely remove the flare for disposal.

This incident just bring to light the Dangers of picking any object off our beach especially with the near proximity of  Donna Nook ranges remember NOT all the Bombs go off and the sea can wash them onto shore and after they are BOMBS their job is to explode so if you see any suspicious object on the beach

LEAVE IT ALONE – DO NOT TOUCH IT – MARK ITS LOCATION – PHONE THE COAST GUARD on 999 – (if you have a mobile but DO not be too near to the object)  or CONTACT the COAST WATCH station and inform them where it is and they will report it for you! BUT BE SAFE dont make yourself a Casualty!

Team Members Trevor Allsobrook, Ian Hulse, Doug Tyrie, Arch Stevenson, Dr Graham Williams and Mike Pheby were the inital group to sit the two day course over two weekends, held at The Boat Shed in Mablethorpe. The resulting 100% pass rate was outstanding and the team membes will be obtaining their Radio badges from Tony when they arrive from the Quartermaster Store. Two more groups are in the pipeline to take the course , Pauline being the admistrator. The target is to get as many Watchkeepers trained in Radio proceedure; with the onset of the Summer season it will be an aid to the the Team

National Coast watch’s Mablethorpe team, who launched their service to the community of Mablethorpe, Easter 2009, are now relocating to a higher vantage point. In a reprise of their launch the Vicar of Mablethorpe, the Reverend Alison Harvey, will bless and dedicate the new Surveillance Unit located in Sea View Car Park, Mablethorpe.

The Chairman of the National Coastwatch Institution, Mr Jon Gifford, will also be on hand to see the station commissioned. He commented that the Mablethorpe team had seen their unit grow from a Beach Chalet on the Promenade to a fully equipped NCI station in less than twelve months and this is all a credit to the dedicated work of the band of volunteers that make up this hard working team.

The team have watched out over the Sea and Beach at Mablethorpe for a total in excess of 3,000 man hours since opening and have assisted in the identifying and saving 4 people. They have also logged both commercial and leisure craft plying the waters locally. They have also endured the coldest of winters in a decade from an open chalet on the Promenade.

Their Station Manager, Tony Mee, said “I was proud of my team, both in the way they have adapted and overcome adversity with the cold weather, and secondly the way they have supported me in all the Fund Raising efforts to acquire this state of the art unit”. Tony also commented that this new Station would not have come to fruition without the support of businesses and local people of Mablethorpe without whose generous donations and Sponsorship the unit would have been a long time coming.

He also said “On behalf of my team I wish to say a big thank you to all; this type of ship (sponsorship) is one we love to see!”

The local HM Coast Guard were heavily involved with the choice of the new location, as it gives a spectacular overview of Mablethorpe North Beach, a location which is very heavily used by Holiday makers and locals alike. They commented that the station will be an asset they will be happy to support over the coming years.

National Coastwatch Institution nationally are ever expanding, this year seeing the planned opening of another four stations around the coast, but Mablethorpe are proud to be the 42nd station on their locale.

Over the last year (2009) nationally, NCI stations have Logged and Identified 180919 Commercial and Military Vessels along with 193416 Pleasure Vessels, a grand total of 374335. The 39 operational stations have spent a total of 174600 man hours on watch (3,000 of those were at Mablethorpe), operated by 1652 Trained and Trainee Watch keepers who were supported by 144 Auxiliaries. During those hours they were involved with: 818 incidents reported to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, 68 reported for Police involvement and a further 323 involved Ambulance, Wildlife and other agencies of these 1209 incidents, 49 required the launching of RNLI assets, and all this was at NO COST to the Nation.

The team are always on the look out (no pun intended) for new members to join their ranks: the main requirement is a pair of “MK 1 eyeballs” this is the main tool the team use, All the other assets that they use, binoculars and the like, are extra and aids to their main remit of Spotting, Reporting and Plotting. Full training is given in-house and at the Volunteers own speed so there is no pressure. A Team Volunteer comes from all walks of life but mainly the recently retired person with a few hours spare in the week or month to help the local Community stay safe.

Prospective Volunteers should contact Ian Hulse, Recruitment Coordinator on 01507 466230.

Our next Sponsored Fund Raising event is at The Tavern, Mablethorpe Chalet Park, Off Quebec Road, with a Race Night put on by the Lions. All are welcome; come along and help the horses by shouting loudly and support NCI Mablethorpe whilst have A Grand Night Out!

The new Station,which is owned by NCI Mablethorpe, is a vandal proof steel building, located 50 feet above sea level. We now have an extensive view over the North Shore to look out for dangers and increase your safety.

Our thanks go to the team who worked tirelessly using their skills and experience, including carpentry and metal work, to prepare and furnish the the building to very high specifications. Flower filled planter boxes will soon add a finishing touch to the outside of the building.

Asked why the February 27th date for the change Station Manager Tony Mee said “It is an auspicious date for us as the team’s inaugural meeting was scheduled for the 27th February 2009 and from that date to now what a Team I have; supporting me and working through the hardest winter in many a year, to keep watch out from an open Beach Chalet, so this New Station is an accolade to their efforts!”

The Annual Remembrance Parade at Mablethorpe was joined by our team for the first time, this year. Watched by a large crowd of Local Dignitaries and Voluntary Groups along with Military and Civilian Representatives, Tony Mee, Station Manager laid a traditional wreath of Poppies to the fallen on behalf of National Coastwatch Mablethorpe.

Tony was exceedingly pleased with the teams turn out. A professional and smart body of men and woman he said. Mablethorpe will now know who we are and what we are about.

Tony Harrison, Watch Keeper, attended the Sutton on Sea Remembrance Parade as Team Representative, however he did not lay a wreath.

Tony Mee, commented: “It was nice to know we are becoming known in the local Communities as an active group. This is being reflected in the donations we are receiving and the support of the local General Public”

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