8th May 2018. The Trustees of the National Coastwatch Institution hosted a reception at Trinity House in the presence of our royal patron Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

The guests included the charity’s other patrons, Dr Dame Katherine Grainger and Air Marshal Sir Christopher Colville, along with Sir Alan Massey (CEO of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency) and Rowena Dimond (Director of Intelligence UK Border Force). The sixty invited guests included representatives from the Baltic Exchange, GJW Direct, Seafarers UK, Raymarine, Lloyds Register, Mercator Marine, Royal Yacht Association, RNLI, The British Marine Federation and Trinity House amongst many others.

After being introduced to the Board of Trustees, The Princess Royal met with the guests in the Trinity House Library. Following an introduction by NCI Chairman Lesley Suddes, Her Royal Highness gave a short speech in which she praised the commitment of the NCI in helping to save lives at sea and urged the business sector to support our vital work. She also fondly recalled her visit to NCI Skegness in March and commented that she had been very impressed with the station.

After Her Royal Highness departed, the Trustees, supported by several NCI members, circulated amongst the guests promoting the activities of the charity and explaining the vital role we play in the Search and Rescue community.

The photograph (courtesy of Tom Suddes and Ian Whalley) shows The Princess Royal with the NCI Trustees and other members at Trinity House.