Phone +44 7976 505649 | ||
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Address South Devon Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Start Bay Caravan Club Site, Kingswear, Dartmouth TQ6 0EH, UK Similar National Trust ‑ Coleton F, Dartmouth Castle, Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth Steam Railway, National Trust ‑ Greenway | ||
NCI Froward Point is a busy National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) lookout station at Inner Froward Point at the easterly side of the mouth of the River Dart two miles by coast path from Kingswear in Devon in England. Its twin duties are to maintain an hours of daylight watch over the local coastal area and the South West Coast Path on whose route it lies. With some significant blind spots because of the coastline, NCI Froward Point covers the coastline from Start Point in the West towards Brixham in the East.
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Operational details
The area of operation has a mixed boating population of a fishing fleet, recreational yachtsmen, both sail and power, yacht racing fleets, small commercial passenger vessels, kayaks, canoes, military vessels, dinghy racing fleets, racing gigs, small boats and inflatables, powered and unpowered. During the summer months the recreational seafarers make the lookout both busy and an important resource. In addition there are regular visits to the River Dart by passenger cruise liners during the cruising months. The high number of boating movements makes the mouth of the Dart and the surrounding headlands places of high risk. Although it is not involved in traffic management, NCI Froward Point alerts Falmouth Coastguard both to potential incidents and incidents in progress.
The Froward Point lookout became operational in July 2005 with planning going back to 2002. It is one of a growing number of NCI lookout stations on the coast of the United Kingdom.
NCI Froward Point rents two buildings of the Brownstone Battery complex, a World War II battery, from the National Trust. As a part of the NCI UK registered charity, NCI Froward point is entirely supported by charitable donations.
NCI Froward Point works closely with HM Coastguard at Brixham, and the Dart Lifeboat, and is a accredited with Declared Facility Status which allows full participation on UK Search and Rescue incidents
NCI Froward Point has been featured in the ITV Southwest Regional Evening News programme on 14 February 2007 as a significant point on a featured walk
Facilities
The station is equipped with fixed and handheld Marine VHF radios on which it maintains a listening watch on channels 0, 16 and 67 unless authorised to transmit by the Coastguard on a per incident basis (pre 1 October 2014), and channel 65 for regular two way traffic (post 1 October 2014) a pair of mounted telescopes, binoculars, a radar set and a weather station. The weather station updates the lookout's website with weather data every minute or so via a microwave link to a broadband connection as an important real time service to seafarers. A webcam, updating images at the same interval, provides a visual check on sea state and weather. With no mains electricity to the site solar panels are used and a diesel generator is run when necessary.
The lookout station maintains a visitor centre with information about both its operations and also the Brownstone Battery itself.
Wildlife
When not monitoring the surrounding area for people at risk, watch keepers record sightings of seals, cetaceans and other wildlife for relevant wildlife organisations.
Incidents
NCI Froward Point has been involved in the following incidents: