Coastwatch – More New Beginnings and Changes
There is a new monarch on the throne and the Carolean Age has officially begun. King Charles III reigns and the country moves forward. Personally, I missed seeing the whole thing on the television, but did listen to it on the radio. Who would have believed Royal Mail would insist we work on the day of the Coronation. The amount of people who expressed astonishment when I turned up on their doorsteps on the day proved that they couldn’t believe it either.
I have a keen love of history and I still feel drawn towards the monarchy. My own view is that it brings our country some much needed stability. Especially while successive governments attempt to bring the country forward with their own ideals and beliefs. It is good to know there is an ancient institution, with all its pageantry and style, which seems to be the envy of more in the world than some folks realise. Be that as it may, as a safety valve, both Royalty and Parliament fulfil a real need in this country for public criticism and opinions, but without resort to a civil war.
Change and new beginnings can be a good thing although I have never believed in change just for the sake of it. Some things just work and don’t need changing. Other things are long overdue for any change at all.
For us at Coastwatch there is little change for our service as regards patronage. We always had the support of our late queen, and I am sure our new king also feels the same way. Our Royal Patron is The Princess Royal, Princess Anne. Her committed and enthusiastic support of the NCI is well known, and we are proud to have her as our patron. She is known to visit stations when she is nearby to them, and I live in hope she may pop in one day when I’m on duty.
We have had a visit a year ago from the High Sheriff of Cornwall, Andrew Williams, and he to0 was fully supportive of what we do. In fact, it must be said all our visitors to the lookout seem to be both committed and enthusiastic and we are grateful for the support… and I include all of you in that statement.
The picture below shows our present Chairman of Coastwatch, Clive Pouncey, who popped down to visit us from the head office.
Liz on the day was the trained watchkeeper in the lookout with Jane as her trainee. Peter is our own Station Manager who tries hard to keep us in some semblance of order… and succeeds admirably.
Our service will see a bit of a change, however. The chairman at Head Office, Clive Pouncey, is standing down and we will see a change in a month or so. He also visited us last year and enjoyed his visit with us. He presented one of our new watch keepers, Jane Lovett, with her epaulettes as a newly qualified keeper while on station. New beginnings; new leaders; new ideas at all levels. The future beckons as we continue with our work.
It is the work that is the most important thing. We do our jobs seriously and make full use of the extensive training given. It is always said that in all walks of life, no matter what changes are made at the top, the work continues at the lower end. Fresh ideas are always welcome if sensible; nobody wants to be involved in a race to the bottom or be involved in a lowering of standards.
Thankfully for us in Coastwatch, our patronage will remain as it has always been, and the job we do will remain unchanged as well. We are the ‘eyes along the coast’. It is something every one of us is proud of. That is the core of our being. It defines who we are.
There are some things however that don’t change. The ability to have a lapse of judgement is a part of all humans make up. None of us is immune to it. Forgetfulness, inattention, complacency…it happens to us all…and the reasons for these are legion. None of us deliberately makes a mistake or has an accident. We all basically have good intentions. But as the saying goes “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions”.
There are two possible meanings:
1. People who believe they are doing good can end up doing bad (this is the law of unintended consequences).
2. There is no value in simply planning to do good if you don’t actually do it.
I mowed the lawn to make everything neat and tidy for when my wife Linda came home from the allotment. I plugged in the mower and cut the grass beautifully and was very pleased with myself. Stepped back into the kitchen to switch the plug off and discovered I had accidently switched on one of the rings on the hob. The smell of melted plastic is still in the house; Linda’s plastic container holding the sharp knives is no more; and it took me ages to scrape the now hardened residue of plastic off the hob. Needless to say, the beautifully mown lawn was ignored by Linda when She came home, if only she could have ignored the hob. That is an example of meaning number 1.
On another occasion it was my mums 70th birthday. Bear in mind I was a postman and working in the office that would deliver to her. I brought a beautiful card for her in to work to give her postman on the day. He’d been out on delivery for an hour when I found the card still sitting in my desk drawer. Mum always thought I’d forgotten her birthday and hadn’t remembered until late in the day. It was made worse by both my brother and my sister getting their cards delivered through the post that morning. That is an example of meaning number 2.
We are all guilty of these sorts of failures. Some are amusing; some have potential dire consequences; some can be fatal; but rarely were they intentional. I make mistakes as much as anybody else so please don’t feel that I am being self-righteous, or smug, or pontificating when I say that some things don’t change.
The coast and the sea itself can be dangerous places for the unwary. They can also be the most wonderful playgrounds and relaxing places to be at. It is that feeling of safety and security though when relaxing on a beach when problems may occur. The last thing anybody wants is for people to be nervous or afraid when coming to the beach. The trick is to simply be aware that you may be a little vulnerable in a place you don’t know well.
When I go to a large city, I see people rushing here and there with ease. Each is aware without even being aware of it, of the dangers around them. They are used to large crowds, congested and busy roads, noise, etc. Me… I’m like a fish out of water. It’s all too fast, to frantic, to overwhelming; I’m not in my comfort zone.
I still go to the city, and I do enjoy the visit, I’m just a little bit more aware of my own vulnerability and try to act accordingly.
Those of us living here are not invulnerable. We are a bit more aware of tides, weather changes, of certain wildlife, even of simple things like slippery green stuff on the slipway. We are all aware and only very occasionally get caught out. There are others not so well informed.
A couple of examples need putting forward.
A swimmer informed folk he was lone swimming in very rough weather. Off he went and wasn’t seen again. They eventually reported him missing. The RNLI launched two boats; a helicopter was scrambled, and he was finally found safe at home having a cup of tea. Those who had raised the alarm did the right thing. It was the lapse in judgement by the swimmer that caused the problem. No lives lost although there was a great potential for it. The problem was the slip of the mind to let others know you had returned safely. Our local incident was less dramatic, but potentially dangerous. A dawdling walk from Portscatho Harbour to Porthcurnick beach meant that someone was eventually cut off by the tide. No way back or forward, the person managed to scramble up the cliff face and crawl out onto the cliff path.
I did it myself once years ago while on holiday. I can still remember the fear of being cut off. I can also remember the terror as the sea rolled ever closer, and the sobbing in the back of my throat as I finally found a way back up onto the cliff top. I can also remember the telling-off I got from mum and dad when somebody told them what I had done. I can’t repeat it enough times, be aware, be responsible, be thoughtful, and never turn your back on the sea. Stay Safe.
Above all else, remember, we are here if you need us.
