Southend Station
Mobile Telephone: 07815 945210
An introduction to the Birth and Development of an Idea
The Sea Safety Group was formed by Captain Tony Starling Lark, a North Sea Pilot, who had become increasingly alarmed at the number of accidents between large Merchant vessels and Fishing vessels, particularly in the Dover Straits. The sinking of three fishing vessels, the "Margaret & William II", "Ocean Hound", and the "Wilhelmina J", in 1991 with heavy loss of life had raised considerable concerns in many quarters.
To try and arouse public awareness, and to help investigate these losses, Tony Starling Lark took a BBC Film Crew, together with a Fishing Boat Skipper, (who had himself suffered a hit and run situation with a large Merchant vessel) on a normal Pilotage assignment from Brixham to a Continental port on a large container vessel.
During this passage both Captain Starling Lark and the Fishing Skipper realised that neither of them had a basic knowledge of each others problems in handling their vessels, the very different requirements each had when using the same stretch of water, and the need for both to make a safe living from the sea. From this experiment, the Sea Safety Group was formed to try to bring awareness to all Mariners, whatever their calling, of each others problems and special requirements.
In 1994, whist boarding a ship off Brixham in an easterly gale, Captain Starling Lark jokingly remarked, "Ah well, if I fall over the side at least the Lookout on Berry Head will see me." He was horrified to learn that the CG Lookout was no longer manned following the reorganisation of the Coastguard Service. At about the same time, two fishermen were lost at sea almost under the old CG Lookout at Bass Point on the eastern part of the Lizard Peninsula. This prompted Peter Rayment, a Director of SSG, to suggest that the group tries to acquire the lookout, reinstate it to working order, and man it with Volunteers. The story goes that after a day of intense discussion, by ten o’clock that evening NCI was born and the entire salient points down on paper.
Thanks to the tremendous help received from the National Trust who own the Lookout at Bass Point, NCI was able to sign a lease to use the property for a peppercorn rent. The National Trust has also granted the Institution the lease on the Lookout at Cape Cornwall.