From handing out tickets for illegally parked boats to recovering a body from the water, no two days are the same for crews of the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coastguard.

As Colour Sergeant Leslie Spanswick put it: “In fact, no two shifts are the same.”

The Royal Gazette spent a day on patrol with a coastguard team to see first-hand what a working day can be like for soldiers at sea.

A typical shift starts with a briefing of what to look out for. During one shift on Sunday, it included the subject of an arrest warrant who could come to the crew’s attention.

The Gazette was on board a power boat driven by Private Sophia Card, joined by Colour Sergeant Spanswick and Corporal Ahmed Hill.

Their shift is a gruelling noon to midnight with breaks. Operations were delayed on this occasion only by the intense thunder and lightning storms that struck the island.

Major Jeffrey Patterson, the RBR Coastguard Commander, explained: “We have full-time staff doing this and part-time also.

“The part-time staff have two roles — they do training from mid-September to mid-May like any other regimental soldier and then at weekend they are on patrol and complement the full-time staff on their shifts.

“The weekends are when the public are out on the water from early morning until early evening, depending on the weather, and that is when there can be accidents.”

He added: “We have the exact same powers as a police officer, so we are officers on the water ... the work can range from issuing tickets to helping with emergencies.”

Major Patterson said that the unit worked closely with the Bermuda Police Service and Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service.

He added: “We also work with environmental officers, customs and immigration plus [the Department of] Marine and Ports, specifically with Bermuda Radio who inform us of who is operating in Bermuda waters, including ships passing by.

“If there is an emergency from the water side then a call goes to Bermuda Radio with the emergency and they orchestrate the services and call us, the fire department and ambulance service so that we all come together in a team effort.”

The coastguard is empowered to enforce laws related to territorial waters, immigration, quarantine and fisheries, and responds to maritime search-and-rescue requirements.

It includes a team of operational support divers who are specially trained to carry out underwater search and recovery efforts.

Colour Sergeant Spanswick explained: “The part-time shifts overlaps the two regular shifts, which are from 8am to 8pm and then 8pm to 8am, so we have 24-hour cover.

“It makes for a long shift when we do noon to midnight but that’s how it is. We have 20 part-time staff and 17 full-time.

“We are on patrol for anything — from boats which are not licensed or their licences have expired to possibly recovering a boat that has slipped its mooring in bad weather.

“We are also on the lookout for any thefts from boats.

“Some have been targeted in the past and the thieves will steal flares, life jackets and other emergency equipment, which can be quite expensive.

“So when we are on patrol it is a matter of showing ourselves and if someone sees you then they are not likely to steal anything.”

Colour Sergeant Spanswick, a part-time coastguard crew member who is a fisherman in civilian life, added: “We look for any illegal fishing when we are out on patrol and also go around public docks and see who is parked there — if they are there for a long period of time then they can get a ticket.

“I have been involved now for 34 years and my official title is maritime enforcement officer.

“I have a lot of boat owners’ phone numbers in my phone so it means if we spot a boat that has come loose I can call them. But we have owners’ names on our computer system and locate them that way to inform them and have the situation sorted.”

As he glanced at the storm enveloping the island, Colour Sergeant Spanswick remarked: “When I said no two shifts are the same, look — no four hours are the same when we go out."