How to use the online alarm clock
As you hand your current task to a colleague, an alarm for 12:27 am can mark the moment to begin your coastguard duty without repeatedly checking the clock. It also leaves a clear 33-minute stretch before 1:00 am, enough time to receive the watch briefing, check your kit and settle at the station.
Your prompt depends on the phone remaining awake until the chosen time. If it falls asleep before 12:27 am, the browser alarm may stay silent, leaving the coastguard duty change without its expected signal. Keeping the screen active and the alarm page open reduces that risk; for a handover that cannot slip, a separate alarm on the phone provides a sensible backup.
Before taking over a night watch, a small, familiar snack is less awkward than carrying a full meal into the handover. Water or a warm drink in a lidded flask can be prepared beforehand, while anything messy or requiring cutlery can wait until the next proper break. That keeps the minutes around 12:27 am free for listening, checking details and starting duty with both hands available.
Common questions
Can I change the sound?
Yes, there is a short list of tones to pick from before you press Start. Softer sounds are easy to sleep through, so a firmer bell tends to be the safer choice for anything early in the morning.
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
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