RNLI Northern Ireland: Father's pride at son following his legacy as duo prepare for busy Christmas at sea

The pair are telling their story as part of the RNLI annual Christmas appeal, donations from which the volunteer-led organisation depend on to keep saving lives.

Frank has been a lifeboat crew member at Larne RNLI for 29 years, 27 of those as coxswain. Before that he was a crew member at Red Bay RNLI for three years. His son Jack joined the Larne crew in August 2018.

For Frank it was no surprise when Jack decided to join the crew: "I was absolutely delighted that he was going to be a part of it, but I had no doubt that that was going to happen because Jack had shown such an interest from an early age.

"When I was going out on shouts he would wait up until I came in and the first thing I would hear was this voice from our little boy’s bedroom, 'Dad, what was it'?

"His achievements within the lifeboat also - it’s probably one of the drivers that is keeping me on the lifeboat. I enjoy going out training with Jack and I particularly enjoy when we go on call outs together. It’s really rewarding when you go out on a shout and you come in and everything has gone well but to have your big son beside you when you do it, it’s pretty special.

"I do enjoy Jack being on the lifeboat,’ Frank says, ‘I enjoy seeing him go through the various stages and achieving the different goals – it’s hard to put into words how proud I feel when I see him doing that."

But like many families who have a loved one on the lifeboat, there is concern too when they put to sea.

"Recently, on one of the shouts," Frank recalls with a smile, "I had to put Jack aboard another vessel at two o’clock in the morning in a force eight gale and everyone thought it was a great achievement and a great job, except his mother and she gave me such a hard time for putting his life on the line."

But the service is not just limited to fathers and sons.

Larne woman Sami Agnew joined the lifeboat crew in Larne in October 2009, following in the footsteps of her father Martin who marks 25 years of volunteer service next year.

"Being on the crew with my dad is very special, following in his footsteps makes me very proud and always having him there when I need him is like an extra safety net," she said.

"There’s no feeling quite like bringing someone home safe to their families," Sami adds. "But as volunteer lifeboat crew we couldn’t launch without kind donations from the public which fund the kit, training and equipment we need to save others and get home safely to our own families."

To make a donation visit: RNLI.org/WinterAppeal