An amateur film by Ronald Torbet showing various activities taking place in and around the North Dock, Sunderland. The film shows cargo ships arriving on the River Wear both to be repaired and to unload cargo. The film also features sailing dinghies from the Sunderland Yacht Club, based at the North Dock (now Sunderland Marina), Sunderland Harbour, and the Wear steam ferry WF Vint crossing the Wear. The film begins with an emblem of the initials R.T. [Ronald Torbet] A black-headed gull flys...

An amateur film by Ronald Torbet showing various activities taking place in and around the North Dock, Sunderland. The film shows cargo ships arriving on the River Wear both to be repaired and to unload cargo. The film also features sailing dinghies from the Sunderland Yacht Club, based at the North Dock (now Sunderland Marina), Sunderland Harbour, and the Wear steam ferry WF Vint crossing the Wear. The film begins with an emblem of the initials R.T. [Ronald Torbet] A black-headed gull flys past over water. Title: Roker: North Dock The gull dives into the water. In the distance, a number of large cranes dot the horizon and ships are loaded or un-loaded from a dockside. Two boys row past in a rowing boat. There is a close up of the cargo ship Temple Bar beside another ship moored along the quayside. General views from the pier follow of a ship at sea and two lighthouses on the old north pier and on Cliffe Park, Seaburn/Roker, at the mouth of the River Wear. Two fishing trawlers are moored at a quayside, houses built on the hillside above. The registration of one of the trawlers is SD-38. Other smaller pleasure vessels are moored inside a small marina.   From the quayside, a man lowers a bucket into the water below, fills it and pulls it back up. A dog stands nearby as he places something into the bucket before walking away towards a building with a corrugated iron roof. Along the quayside, there are a number of wooden boats. A small coble fishing boat sails into the marina. The cargo ship Sir David sails into the River Wear accompanied by two tugboats. The tugboat at the rear is a paddle steamer. A number of small sailing dinghies sail nearby and a small crowd watch from a pier. There are general views of the paddle tugboat with men working on the deck. The two tug boats help to manoeuvre the Sir David into a dry dock at TW Greenwell & Co. Ltd ship repair yards. The film changes to show a number of sailing dinghies out at sea beyond the north and south piers. One dinghy heads back into the harbour as a man walks past. Title: Dinghy Racing – 1 –  Inside Sunderland harbour, four small sailing dinghies pass by, a fifth travelling in the opposite direction at speed. Various views folow of the dinghies sailing in the harbour. A fishing trawler manoeuvres around the dinghies and heads out to sea. It passes a rowing boat with two people on board. One of the sailing dinghies sails past, the number on the sail reads ‘N 1027'. Two young men are on board as it sails towards a stone pier. It makes a sharp turn away. The Wear ferry WF Vint is moored along a quayside. A sign on a nearby building reads ‘Rose Line’. Passsengers are on board the ferry. A couple with a small child make their way along a road towards the steam ferry boat. The ferry pulls away from the quayside and makes its way across the Wear, pulling into a quayside where passengers disembark. Across the river, scaffolding surrounds a number of ships under construction. Nearby, a cargo ship is moored. Along the quayside, a crane unloads sacks from a cargo ship, the Nuddea, onto an upper level of a warehouse where workers await. Another cargo ship, the Silverfell, is moored along a different quayside, the Wearmouth Bridge in the background. The film ends with the steam powered ferry crossing the Wear again and arriving at a quayside. Title: The end