What does Sheringham Coastwatch do?

The Coastwatch station is equipped with telephone, radar, a VHF radio, powerful telescope and binoculars.

Much of the traffic that passes the Watch tower consists of large commercial vessels but we also watch over the many crab boats and small fishing boats that work in our area. We also observe the dive boats, jet skiers, the wind surfers, board riders and swimmers.

Our role is to:

Keep a visual watch on the coastal areas around the Lookout.

Monitor the international distress channel on VHF ch.16.

Keep a radar watch.

Report any incidents or emergencies to HM Coastguard and other emergency services as appropriate.

Co-operate with HM Coastguard and other Search and Rescue organisations when requested.

Watch over and assist divers operating in the vicinity.

Monitor local weather conditions and when requested give local weather reports. (Not weather forecasts)

To assist the general public and relevant authorities where possible

We report any incidents on the sea, beach, cliff and pathways to the Coastguard at Great Yarmouth who will the take over responsibility for the incident and co-ordinate the rescue services.

We log all commercial shipping , pleasure craft and other vessels that we observe, recording key details, in the station Log Book.

We record:-

Time of the observation

The type of vessel, its name and/or number, the colour of its hull and superstructure, its true bearing and heading, and its estimated distance from the Watch tower.

Any other information that may aid identification.

All of these would be important if we had to report an incident involving the vessel to the HM Coast Guard.

The weather is recorded at regular intervals in the Log Book. Wind direction and force, sea state, visibility and cloud cover as well as the barometric pressure are recorded. Twice a day the weather report is offered to HM Coast Guard