The Portscatho Branch of the National Coastwatch Institution have passed their assessment allowing them to become a ‘Declared Facility Status’ for H.M. Coastguard’s Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Pendennis, Falmouth, and can now be officially recognised as part of the Maritime Search and Rescue emergency services. 

The NCI Portscatho watch-keepers who were assessed on Wednesday 19th August, were lead by their Station Manager Peter Clements and included from the 19?strong team at Portscatho, his Deputy Station Manager, Patrick Rigley, Senior Watch?keeper Peter Cashell and Watch?keepers Peter Vigors-Evans, Sue O’Donovan and Alan Baptist; Portscatho Harbour?Master, Simon Taffinder also assisted the team with his boat, during a practical exercise in Gerrans Bay. The Inspectors from the NCI Assessment Team, Chris Eddy from NCI Charlestown and (another) Peter Clements from NCI Bass Point, were joined by Sector Manager, Alan Mathews, from H.M. Coastguard, at the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Falmouth, to put the volunteer watch?keepers through a number of tests and interviews to assess their capabilities of assisting the Coastguard in their Search and Rescue operations. – The inspecting team were impressed with the overall performance of the Watch?keepers, who successfully completed the rigorous assessment on behalf of the Station, enabling it to achieve Declared Facility Status. The National Coastwatch station at Portscatho opened in 2001, occupying the old H.M. Coastguard lookout at Pednvadan Point, and is one of 12 operational stations around the Cornish coast.  Each station is manned and maintained by fully trained volunteers who keep a daylight visual watch around the coast providing a vital link with the emergency services in the event of accidents at sea, on the beaches and cliff-faces or along the coastal footpath. The Station at Portscatho is manned presently from Easter to the end of October, for four days per week, Friday to Monday, between 9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and is striving to recruit more volunteers to enable the Station to be manned for 7 days per week.

Anyone interested in becoming an NCI volunteer Watch-keeper should contact the Station Manager, Peter Clements on 01726 75255 or his Deputy, Patrick Rigley on 01872 501838.