Coastguard Northern Region wishes to advise boaties who use either the Raglan or Kawhia Harbours that they can now access Coastguard’s Nowcasting Marine safety service before they leave the harbour on marine VHF Channel 21 following the installation of a new repeater near Raglan recently.
Nowcasting is where wind data is captured at selected sites around New Zealand and is then broadcast continuously over the dedicated marine VHF channels. Nowcasting information includes both the peak and average wind speed, the wind direction, as well as the next high tide information and most recent marine forecast.
Coastguard Northern Region Services Manager Michael Lawrence says that previously boaties could only access the information on channel 22 after they had left either harbour, but thanks to a grant from the New Zealand Community Trust, a new repeater has now been installed at Te Uku that provides the necessary coverage to allow the broadcasts to be picked up inside both harbours.
“Nowcasting is rated as one of the most valuable services that Coastguard provides for all boaties and the installation of the new repeaters means that boaties who are crossing either the Raglan or Kawhia bars can now use that information to help them make the decision on whether or not it is safe to cross the bar.”
The installation of the new VHF Channel 21 in the Raglan and Kawhia Harbour is one of a number of recent enhancements that Coastguard Northern Region has made to its Nowcasting service with the others being the introduction of an on demand Nowcasting service for boaties in the Hauraki Gulf on Channel 22 and an increased coverage for the Bay of Islands area on channel 21.
Press Release: Coastguard Northern Monday, 7 December, 2009 – 15:11