Throughout the night, gusts of wind exceeding 30 meters per second whipped through Saaremaa's harbor. By midday on Saturday, the wind began to subside, but the sea remained churning with white foam. The exercise for volunteer maritime rescuers kicked off with real rescue operations – on land, as they cleared rocks tossed onto the pier by the storm.

While most people try to avoid the water in such weather, these men – and a significant number of women – apparently find it thrilling.

"I have to admit, everyone who planned to come is here and no one stayed home because of the weather," said Maidu Lempu, head of the Saaremaa Volunteer Maritime Rescue Association.

"If anything, the wind could be blowing a bit more! Let's say that calm water allows for all kinds of training, but accidents usually happen when the weather is like this. You have to learn in these kinds of conditions," added volunteer rescuer Kaupo Kongas.

The volunteers practiced jumping into the waves, swimming and rescuing a so-called "black dummy," all within the stormy harbor waters – though they stayed inside the harbor area and did not venture past the pier, where the waves were still intensely rough.

"Bad things tend to happen in bad weather, and may God grant we don't have to go out," Lempu said. "But we have had situations where we had to brave similar conditions."

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