NCI Fleetwood lookout is situated on The Promenade Fleetwood and is at the south west corner of Morecambe Bay. From the Station virtually the whole of the Bay can be observed. The Bay is notorious for ever-changing sands and fast-flowing channels and is the graveyard of many wrecks of professional sailors. It has claimed numerous lives and necessitates frequent rescues of persons cut off by the fast flowing tides, which quickly surround the unwary who venture out on the sands. Many will recall the tragedy of the Chinese cockle pickers who perished in the Bay a few years ago. The Bay provides access to several ports including Barrow, Heysham and Fleetwood and commercial marinas. It provides leisure facilities to participants in all forms of water sports. It is frequented throughout the year, by commercial and leisure fishermen often in small boats.
The fast tidal run (up to 3.5 knots) on a spring tide and exposure to westerly gales has overcome the efforts of generations to attain safe harbour as witnessed by the visible wrecks at low tide.
The Station, which was refurbished by the members in 2008, opened in May 2008 and occupies a former H. M. Coastguard lookout station believed to be built in about 1948. Since the closure of many Coastguard stations in the early 1990’s it has served as a bird-watching outpost and a store for Wyre Borough Council’s gardeners. This station was demolished in 2011 and replaced with the modern leaning structure we see today and was opened in 2013.
This new Station has (at October 2023) 44 members and is actively seeking further recruits for training. People from all walks of life are accepted and need no prior knowledge of the sea and Search and Rescue procedures. Theory training is provided in a room kindly donated by a local hostelry. Further practice and training takes place at the Station with trained personnel.
The Station achieved Declared Facility Status(DFS) September 29th 2013 which has been renewed October 6th 2016 and works closely with the Fleetwood RNLI, Coastguard and the Police. It has been involved in BBC local radio reports and the local newspapers about its participation in rescues of several kinds.
Lookout Tel: 01253 870618
STATION MANAGER: Colin Coopers Tel: 07800967649