A windsurfer was rescued by Hartlepool RNLI yesterday.

The team was paged at 5:39pm with the inshore lifeboat ‘Solihull’ and four volunteer crew members launching at 5:50pm and were on-scene within a few minutes.

By then, the windsurfer had drifted a mile and a half to the North Gare where the inshore lifeboat crew then discovered the windsurfer had clambered onto some rocks.

Despite the strong winds that made the inshore lifeboat difficult to manoeuvre Ken Hay who was steering the ship, brought the lifeboat up to the rocks and collected the windsurfer and his equipment and returned him to the beach at Seaton Carew.

Read more: RNLI's anger after they are called out to search operation - and it turns out to be a prank

Ken said: “Despite his ordeal the windsurfer appeared to be physically okay and he was really glad to see us. One of my crew went ashore with his equipment then came back and returned him unscathed to the beach at Seaton Carew where the local Coastguard was waiting to assist him.

“Despite the windy conditions it was good to bring the incident to a safe and satisfactory conclusion.”

The inshore lifeboat returned to the Ferry Road lifeboat station at 6.20pm and was refuelled and made ready for service by 6.45pm.

This comes as the day before, (Sunday July 3), the RNLI team rushed to respond to what turned out to be a prank call. Hartlepool RNLI Coxswain Robbie Maiden referred to it as “a malicious hoax call.”

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