Thirty-two years ago fishing boat sank with two of its crew off the coast of the Lizard in Cadgwith Bay.
Sadly, the government had taken the decision to close a number of Coastguard lookouts not long before and it is felt by many that this contributed to the loss of lives at sea. This resulted in the local community establishing its own watch in that area and this was the start of the National Coast Watch Institution (NCI).
NCI now has more than 60 lookout stations around the coast of England Wales, the latest being Cleethorpes which opened during the summer 2025. More are planned too and will be brought online when funds permit.
All of the folk that staff these lookout stations are volunteers and work throughout day light hours to keep users of the coast and coastal waters safe. They are often the first reporters of incidents, reporting incidents to the HM Coastguard. In turn, they coordinate rescues using the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and independent lifeboat stations and coastal rescue teams.
The NCI are a major partner in saving lives at sea.
