Volunteers from Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat Station took part in a rescue mission to assist eleven teenager dinghy sailors who got into difficulty when gale force winds hit their training session outside of Sunderland Harbour.

The rescue mission was launched shortly after 12:30pm (Saturday 21 January) when staff at Sunderland Yacht Club notified Coastguard Officers based at Humber Coastguard Marine Rescue Coordination Centre that their own safety boats were struggling to cope with the number of dinghies requiring assistance due to the gale force winds.