Table of Contents
New Brighton's volunteer lifeboat crew had their hands full on the Eclipse on Wednesday, as they responded to two emergency shouts, had two successful crew assessments, all while watching the partial solar eclipse that swept across the world on August 12.
As reported by the RNLI, the most significant rescue came around 8 pm on the day, a little after the scheduled eclipse time on the Wirral. Wirral Coastguard units alerted the lifeboat to three children and one adult cut off on the North Bank, to the north of the Wirral peninsula. With the assistance of the Coastguard, they managed to recover all four casualties and returned them safely to New Brighton beach. None needed medical attention.
However, earlier in the day at around 5 pm pre-eclipse, Holyhead Coastguard had diverted the crew to a missing person incident just off New Brighton beach. The lifeboat stood down after a short search and nobody was found.
Amidst all the chaos, crew members Bruno and Simon both celebrated passing assessments for new RNLI roles. Bruno completed his Navigator pass-out in the afternoon, launching at around 3:30 pm aboard New Brighton's B-class Atlantic 85 lifeboat. The Navigator role involves safe navigation in line with international maritime policies, collision regulations and RNLI procedures.
Bruno undertook assessments in radar use, search patterns and position fixing, with his search pattern execution particularly praised by the assessor.
Meanwhile, Simon was assessed in the Head Launcher role, a command position which oversees all aspects of launching a lifeboat safely. He was tested on RNLI policy knowledge and safe launch and recovery processes, showing particular skills in safe approach and briefing. His assessment was made more challenging by spring tides creating an extreme low water launch, with tide height as low as 1.5m at 6:30 pm.
While they were out on a second exercise, the RNLI crew were able to view the partial solar eclipse on the water, looking out towards the River Mersey. Although the day was hot, conditions were calm, making viewing easy.
Damian Cull, Launch Authority at New Brighton RNLI, said in a statement: "This was a busy day indeed for New Brighton's volunteer crew. All of us are incredibly proud of Bruno and Simon for their hard work in achieving these pass outs, and we are excited to see the next chapter of their journey with the RNLI."
He added: "The two shouts are a timely reminder of the dangers that the coastline can present, particularly during the popular summer months. We'd always recommend that if people are heading to the beach this summer, they pick a lifeguarded beach. As always, if you see someone in danger, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."
