Dad and son lifeboat crew in Father’s Day call out for RNLI New Brighton
Volunteer lifeboat crew dad Mark McGinn and his son Ben took to the water together on Father’s Day, Sunday 16 June. RNLI New Brighton was responding to a 3.52pm pager call by UK Coastguard to a fishing vessel stranded near Crosby.
This first call out for Ben also saw him board alongside his father Mark as RNLI New Brighton lifeboat volunteers went to the aid of a fishing boat with four people on board.
But the focus for the pair and their companion crew was in rescuing the vessel and those on board from the hazardous position they found themselves in.
‘This was my first rescue and it was great to be able to put months of training into practice,’ Ben said. 'I’m glad it had a happy ending and that everyone was brought to shore safely. It was only after that, I thought how special it was to share that experience with my dad.’
The men had been enjoying a family Father’s Day with mums, siblings, partners and grandparents, when the pager sounded.
Mark said: ‘We were all enjoying our Sunday dinner but when the beeping starts, you just get going. We were on the scene within 16 minutes of being called out, which shows how efficiently we’re working.’
The RNLI provides a 24/7 search and rescue service which means that regardless of what volunteers are doing, they put saving lives first.
Ben’s brother Tom, also a member of RNLI New Brighton lifeboat crew, was the third McGinn family member to depart the dinner table. Tom was part of the lifeboat shore crew on the day, and he played his part in helping to bring the fishing vessel to land on New Brighton beach.
‘As their dad, I’m so chuffed with both lads,’ Mark said. ‘I’m really proud that both of them are not only volunteering as lifeboat crew but the three of us were there for what was fairly challenging rescue given where the boat was situated.’
The call out to the fishing vessel was a joint operation involving flanking lifeboat station RNLI Hoylake which, as sea conditions deteriorated, assisted in its rescue. For details visit https://bit.ly/31GD91q.
The McGinn men and RNLI New Brighton lifeboat crew – including Helm Dan Wardle and Helm Jay Hennessey – returned to the boathouse at 7.40pm, where inshore lifeboat Norma Ethel Vinall was prepared for service.
Notes to editors:
The RNLI provides a 24/7 search and rescue service. The RNLI relies on volunteers to help save lives. Since 1824, the RNLI have saved over 142,700 lives.
For further information contact Cherie Rowlands, New Brighton Lifeboat Press Officer at [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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