Round the Needles


AIS picture released by the National Maritime Operations Centre of 1584 yachts with 16,000 crew rounding the Needles off the Isle of Wight. #raceforall

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Coastguard Rescue Team hailed with community pride award

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Dedicated volunteers from a Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) in Devon have been recognised for their lifesaving dedication with a special award.  Members of Mullacott CRT were honoured to be the recipients of the annual Pride in Ilfracombe Award, given by the town council for their "acts of courage" in responding to emergencies by the coast.  Some of the Coastguard Rescue Officers, who can be called out 24/7, attended a ceremony where Deputy Station Officer Alex Bond accepted the accolade on behalf of the entire team.  It's a huge satisfaction when we can help people in danger come home safe Alex said: "Like HM Coastguard teams all around the UK, Mullacott CRT is ready to respond to an emergency on the coast at any time, in any weather, whoever needs help.  "Our volunteers are members of the local community too, so to receive the Pride in Ilfracombe Award is a real encouragement for what we do. We're so grateful to be recognised – it's a spur to our mission ...
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A short history of HM Coastguard

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Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade har...
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Rescue of young paddleboarders swept out to sea

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A fine Sunday afternoon and the deceptively calm waters at Carlingford Lough in Northern Ireland seemed like the perfect day for two boys to enjoy one of their regular trips out on their paddleboard. But the wind and the strong currents had less than perfect ideas and the young brothers were quickly swept far out to sea as their anxious parents were forced to watch, wait and hope….   The Kilkeel Coastguard Rescue Team assembled at the Lough that afternoon to keep eyes on the drifting casualties, working closely with Kilkeel RNLI to get the brothers to safety The two brothers, aged 8 and 11, set off from their regular sheltered spot on Sunday 21 September, watched by their dad. But as they got a little further out, the breeze picked up shockingly quickly and because it was blowing from the shore out to sea (offshore wind) together with a strong current heading in the same direction, they were soon in d ifficulties .    Mum Sarah (name changed for privacy purposes) ...
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