Boat crew rescued after breaking down

Crew members have been res c ue d a f te r a p l ea su re boat broke down and became trapped in rough seas near Roker Pier.

A 26-foot pleasure b o at b ro k e d o w n n e a r Sunderland’s Roker Pier and was “ranging up and down” against the pier walls in rough sea on Saturday.

The coastguard said one crewman had disembarked onto the pier deck via a set of steps, but was struggling to hold onto the disabled craft with a mooring line when rescue teams were called at 4.45pm.

One person remained onboard when teams arrived at the scene scene to be met by, what the coastguard called, a “dangerous situation”.

A spokesman for Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team, who were supported by Sunderland RNLI and the Atantic 85 lifeboat at the incident, said: “Coastguards immediately took over handling the line until the lifeboat was able to establish a tow line and pull the pleasure boat away from the pier in a challenging operation.

"It was then towed to Sunderland Marina.”

Pictures released by Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team show the boat being towed to safety in the marina.

"This incident has again highlighted a number o f i s sue s , wh ic h are of relevance to all boat owners,” the spokesman added.

"These include notifying Humber Coastguard of voyages, especially in poor weath e r /s ea c o n d i t io n s , maintaining radio communication on Marine VHF Channel 16, ensuring vessels are seaworthy and properly equipped before setting off and, very importantly, ensuringallonboardwearcertified life jackets or buoyancy aids.”