As river levels recede after their
unprecedented rises, breakdown and assistance firm River Canal Rescue continues
to be kept busy retrieving sunken, grounded and partially submerged
vessels.
From January 1 to the end of March,
emergency assistance teams helped 43 boat owners on a number of canal and
rivers across the UK, including the; Thames, Wey, Kennet & Avon, Leeds
& Liverpool, Grand Union, Nene and Gloucester
& Sharpness. These types of rescues would usually be around 20 for
the winter period.
The highest number of call-outs,
49%, was for help refloating sunken vessels.
Next came calls to release grounded boats (25%) which were displaced by
high water levels and typically dumped elsewhere when
river levels subsided. “Unfortunately,”
says RCR Managing Director, Stephanie Horton, “some were washed downstream and
submerged or damaged.”
Requests for pump-outs to stabilise
listing craft accounted for 21% of call-outs.
Stephanie continues: “All call-outs are time critical but in these
cases, a swift response can help minimise damage and save a boat from some of
the worst effects of the floods.”
She concludes: “Displaced boats
wedged in new and often dangerous locations, craft crashed into bridges (in one
case resulting in a sinking), ones overwhelmed with water and vessels in need
of refloats were commonplace. In many cases it’s waiting for that optimum
time to undertake the rescue and the earlier we are made aware of stranded
boats the easier it is to choose the right time to attempt a rescue. Whilst this weather event has stretched our
teams, we’ve never lost a boat yet and don’t intend to do so now.”
Case studies
include
Queen of Hearts 70ft Narrow boat
sunk at Abingdon
28ft Cruiser on river Wey damaged
and sunk following a tree fall
57ft narrow boat broke mooring in
high winds and came to rest against bridge on the Gloucester & Sharpness,
and quickly sank due to the water and wind
57ft wide beam near Sonning, partial
beach and partially sunk
Three cruisers stranded on bank in
Staines in February, another three in March
50ft narrow boat partially grounded
and partially submerged with the extra challenge of being under a wide beam
neighbour
70ft narrow boat stranded on the
bank
Cruiser stuck in a tree on Thames
Four cruisers on the Thames in
Staines/Windsor area – submerged and refloated
Cruiser washed down river and found
in Sunbury upside down – on refloat only half of the boat left
Cruiser at Beal Park and three
narrow boats at Reading saved from sinking
Grounded narrow boat on river Nene
Partially sunken narrow boat on
Trent & Mersey
Cruiser on Leeds & Liverpool
sunk
