THE most sophisticated life-boat in the country entered service in the region yesterday.

The new arrival took its place in Redcar, east Cleveland, a stone's throw from the world's oldest lifeboat.

The Sir James Knott celebrates its 200th anniversary next year and sits proudly looking out to sea in the Zetland Lifeboat Museum on the seafront.

But the new £86,000 Atlantic 75 class, the most modern boat in the RNLI fleet, is a million miles away from the original wooden rowing boat.

Yesterday, crews spent the day taking part in sea trials with the new boat to ensure that by sundown they were completely familiarised with it and it would be ready for action should an emergency call come through.

The new boat has been paid for by the Leicester branch of the RNLI and will be called Leicester Challenge II.

The boat has caused so much excitement in lifeboat circles that a crew from the Dutch service are spending a week in Redcar to find out more about the craft.

It has state-of-the-art radar and global positioning equipment, as well as a balancing system that should help to stabilise the boat in rough weather.

It replaces the Atlantic 21 lifeboat Leicester Challenge, which has been at the Teesside seaside town for the past 12 years.

In that time, the boat has been launched 275 times, has assisted more than 350 people and saved no fewer than 114 lives.

But, delighted as they are with the new boat, Mr Cammish said it was sad to see the old boat go.

"B580, as we know her, has been a fantastic lifeboat for us. She has never failed to launch when called out, she has never even looked like letting us down and, if truth be known, she has several times got us out of very difficult situations when operating in weather and sea conditions much more severe than she was designed for. If our new lifeboat serves us as well, we will be well pleased."

Leicester Challenge will now enter the RNLI's reserve fleet at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, next week, and could be operating at any RNLI station in the country while that station's own boat is undergoing repairs or refit