Rookie sailors helped save a sinking yacht lashed by gale force winds.

Violent North Sea winds had started to tear the mast from the 17-man Excelsior sailing ship, causing water to gush in through the deck.

The boat was one of 80 vessels which set out from Newcastle bound for Fredrikstad, on the south eastern most corner of Norway, to compete in the 2005 Tall Ships Race.

But half the boats which set out were forced to turn back, as gale force winds damaged sails and masts.

Crewmates feared the Excelsior would capsize when high winds began to force the boat onto its side and water poured on board.

They raised an urgent mayday alarm, which was picked up by the nearby Prince William Tall Ship, off Aberdeen.

The vessel, carrying 26 first-time sailors from the North East, rushed to its aid and stopped it from going under.

Crew braved the rocky waters as they launched a rescue operation in the ship's speedboat.

Gemma Atkinson, 16, a Tyne Metropolitan College student, from North Shields, was on board at the time.

She said: "I was shouting and screaming and trying to keep the morale up of the crew on the other ship.

"You could see they were very worried about the whole situation and we knew they were taking on a lot of water.

"The water was extremely rough, we were rocking quite a bit but their boat was going all over the place because it was smaller."

Both the Excelsior, a 24m Lowestoft Smack boat, and the Prince William set off from Tyneside last Thursday for the final leg of the Tall Ships Races 2005.

They were making their way to Fredrikstad, Norway, but had both already retired because of the harsh weather.

The distress call came from the Excelsior, a former fishing boat, at around 8am on Sunday.

The Prince William, an auxiliary coastguard boat, rushed to the scene and created a wind-break to stop the Excelsior from rolling.

Then, trained staff took to the water in a speedboat and threw an electronic pump to the sinking vessel.

Prince William crew member Catherine Todd, 18, of High Spen, Gateshead, said: "It was very dramatic and they were taking on a lot of water. "They were at risk of losing a mast and all the crew were on board at the time.

The former Hookergate Comprehensive School pupil added: "It was horrible conditions, very choppy and we knew we had to get to them as quickly as possible.

"There was a lot of waving and shouting from their as we got near. The captain had responded to a distress call.

"At first we didn't know what was going on but then he held a meeting to tell us."

No crew members from either ship were hurt in the rescue. The Prince William is acting as an escort to the Excelsior, which has now repaired all damage.

Fliss Green, 24, the Prince William's bosun, was on board the speedboat, known as the RIB, that sailed to the rescue of the Excelsior.

She said: "We had to take our spare pump in case they couldn't cope with the amount of water on board.

"For a ship to radio another with a mayday it's a big thing. A wooden ship like that is quite fragile.

"If it had continued to take on water, it could well have gone under.

Adrenaline and training took over at the time.

"Now that we know everyone is well, it has been a great experience for all the youngsters on board to be involved in something like that."

The Prince William's captain Derek Fett added: "This is exactly what the race is all about ? camaraderie, team work and everyone helping each other.

"Our 48 young crew have been really pleased that they were able to help, straight away their first concerns were for the safety of the Excelsior's crew."