Rowing challenge doctors rescued during storm

A husband and wife taking part in a round-Britain rowing challenge had to be rescued when their boat lost its anchor in a storm.

Adam Baker and Charlie Fleury's 21ft vessel was in danger of being blown on to rocks near Hartlepool on Monday.

In strong winds, RNLI volunteers attached a line to the boat and towed it to shore.

The rescue effectively ended the unsupported challenge for the married doctors from Exeter.

The 32-year-olds had been at sea for 65 days after setting off in their boat Atlantic from Tower Bridge in London.

They had been rowing clockwise around the coast of Great Britain and as part of the challenge were not allowed to seek assistance.

However, when they broke anchor they had to call for the RNLI for help.

Luckily they were just a few metres from the shore and opposite the Hartlepool lifeboat station.

The couple, who are both frontline doctors at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, previously rowed across the Atlantic raising money for the Devon Air Ambulance, the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital charity, the RNLI and Mind.

Mr Baker said: "We are devastated to unable to continue the challenge unsupported after all the planning and hard work and rowed so far.

"But at the end of the day we are both safe and well thanks to the amazing assistance from the lifeboat crew.

"We still aim to complete the route but hopefully without the drama we encountered in Hartlepool."

RNLI Hartlepool inshore lifeboat helm Ken Hay said: "The extremely windy conditions during the squall made it difficult to manoeuvre our boat but good work from my crew working with the two people on the rowing boat brought the incident to a safe conclusion."

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